What's going on here...?
"No, no, they will not be appearing in this film."
If this turns out to be true, we're going to be very disappointed. According to a recent interview with Tom Holland, the 24-year-old actor has flat-out denied that the past two movie iterations of the wall-climber will be appearing in Sony's 'Spider-Man 3'.
According to reports late last year, both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be back for Tom Holland's third movie. They are said to be joined by Kristen Dunst's MJ Watson, Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and Alfred Molina's Otto Octavius.
In a cover story interview for Esquire magazine, however, Holland was asked about the involvement of Maguire and Garfield in his next instalment. His answer may leave fans a little crestfallen.
He said: "No, no, they will not be appearing in this film. Unless they have hidden the most massive piece of information from me, which I think is too big of a secret for them to keep from me. But as of yet, no. It’ll be a continuation of the Spider-Man movies that we’ve been making."
Something to bear in mind is that this interview was conducted around the time of the news breaking that previous actors from the franchise would be reprising their roles in the next Spidey. Perhaps, if the rumours are indeed true, then Holland was told by Marvel/Sony that he needed to deny their involvement.
The other alternative is - he's telling the truth. But... all may not be lost. Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange will be making an appearance in the movie, and his next movie is titled 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', which is due for release four months after 'Spider-Man 3'. Perhaps these characters from the past will pop up at the end, leading to the events in the Doctor Strange title?
According to CinemaBlend, a brief synopsis of the next Spider-Man entry was leaked online. The screenshot, which you can see here, follows directly after that shocking ending to 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' whereby J. Jonah Jameson's Daily Bugle revealed Peter Parker's identity. It states that Parker has gone into hiding, with the superhero now missing from action.
Holland said in another recent interview that there has never been "a standalone superhero movie quite like it". He also says in this Esquire interview: "I honestly have no idea what this film is about and I’m eight weeks into shooting it."
It's all very smoke and mirrors, meaning the studios are holding back any new information until the time is right.
You can read the full Tom Holland interview, where he discusses new movie 'Cherry', including having to lose 28 pounds for the role, right here. The movie will be available to stream on Apple TV+ from March 12, with his third 'Spider-Man' movie currently scheduled for release in December 2021.