You would think that making Spider-Man 4 is a slam dunk. The last live-action Spider-Man movie crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, helped in part by the reunion of the three actors cast as Peter Parker. There’s a reason why Spider-Man: No Way Home ranks so high on our list of every Spider-Man movie ranked. I sincerely loved where Spider-Man: No Way Home left Tom Holland’s version of Peter, forgotten by everyone who has ever loved him and forced to live on his own, finding solace in his heroism as Spidey. Again, making another film seems like a no-brainer move, but Holland is now saying that he has reservations.
There are a handful of reasons why Spider-Man 4 is in limbo. For one thing, the ongoing writer’s strike means that developments on a potential screenplay can’t happen. Also, the schedule of upcoming Marvel movies seems to have been built on shifting sands, with release dates constantly changing and the order of stories moving forward and back. While Holland waits for news on the status of Spider-Man 4, he’s talking to the press, and expressing valid concerns about the sequel.
While promoting his latest television series The Crowded Room, available to those with an AppleTV+ subscription, Holland spoke with THR and had this to say about Spider-Man 4:
It’s a collaborative process. The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why. I’m really, really happy with where we’re at in terms of the creative. But I’m also a little apprehensive about it. There’s a bit of a stigma about the fourth one in all franchises. I feel like we hit a home run with our first franchise and there’s a part of me that wants to walk away with my head held high and pass the baton to the next lucky kid that gets to bring this character to life.
Those words are shocking. There was a time when Tom Holland was telling folks that he’d happily play Spider-Man for the rest of his career. That might have been the excitement of winning out on the audition process to play the first Peter Parker in the MCU. But Holland also brings up a fair point. How do you top Spider-Man: No Way Home, which tied together the Spider-Man franchises that came before him? Paying homage to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield is a terrific way to end one’s run as Spider-Man.
Do I think Tom Holland is done? No, I don’t. I think that Marvel Studios, more than ever, needs a bankable character played by an actor fans already enjoy if they want to make Guardians type money. Because experimental Marvel movies aren’t connecting the way that Spider-Man: No Way Home did, and Marvel isn’t about to let Holland walk without throwing loads of cash at him. Once the strike ends, I expect movement on Spider-Man 4 to kick into a higher gear, so stay tuned.
