It’s as good as guaranteed that Tom Holland will be suiting back up and swinging into action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man 4 sooner rather than later, but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to sign on and show up on set without a care in the world.
The actor has become a key part of the creative process whenever his web-slinging outings enter development, not to mention his pivotal part in smoothing over the conflict between Marvel Studios and Sony that threatened to rip him out of the world’s biggest franchise. And yet, he seems to be seriously conflicted about what comes next.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Holland opened up on the process behind Spider-Man 4, which is currently on hold amidst the writers’ strike. While it would be foolish to even contemplate the movie not happening, he was surprisingly honest in his assessment that there’s a part of him that would be more than happy to simply call it quits right now.
“It was myself, Amy [Pacal], Kevin Feige, Rachel [O’Connor], sometimes other executives from Marvel will sit in. 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.”
No Way Home will admittedly take top topping both in terms of its critical reception and box office bonanza, but Spider-Man 4 won’t be anything like the last one. His third solo adventure was fan service writ large with a multiversal twist, whereas his next outing will be a more Peter-centric story based on the ending.
It’s happening one way or another, but let’s hope Holland has a reason that justifies his ongoing tenure as the friendly neighborhood superhero.
