How should studios treat big rumors? Leave them alone, and let fans speculate away? Address them, and even squash them, before things get out of hand? Different studios have adopted different policies over the years, but most enjoy keeping the chatter active. No such thing as bad press, right?
Sony had to address a recent rumor that has so much heat on the Internet, it basically got too hot to ignore. The hopeful hype making the rounds is that original Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are returning to the franchise to join Tom Holland in the third MCU Spidey film. This would be possible thanks to the introduction of the multiverse, which we are expecting to see more of in the Disney+ program WandaVision. Approached by ET Canada, a rep from the studio addressed the rumor and said:
Those rumored castings are not confirmed.
Which isn’t a “no,” so make of that what you will. Again, as mentioned, it behooves Sony for us to still be talking about the possibility that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire might show up in the third MCU Spider-Man movie. But you walk a thin line when it comes to entertaining rumors like that.
A studio can either rip off the Band-Aid and say, “Nope, that’s not happening.” Fans will be disappointed at first, but then they will settle in for what the eventual story might actually be. Or they can say, “We have no comment” leading to months of speculation and then possible disappointment if the rumor doesn’t pan out. Double-edged sword.
Personally, I’m not buying the rumor. I think there’s a lot going on in the MCU’s Spider-Man 3, notably the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in the sequel, as well as the confirmed addition of Jamie Foxx’s Electro to the mix. I do think that bringing Foxx over to the MCU is hinting at the existence of multiple Spider-Man universes, and that Marvel and Sony eventually are building up to the inclusion of Garfield and Maguire in a Tom Holland movie.
But to me, that’s something you save for when Sony does its Sinister Six movie.
Think about it: Trying to pack the introduction of the multiverse and the return of Maguire and Garfield into one movie seems daunting. But teasing out the ability to bring them over to Tom Holland’s universe, and then giving them a large enough threat that requires all three of them makes more sense, to me. And that threat, for Spider-Man, would be the Sinister Six team up. Here’s my breakdown on that theory:
Right now, it’ all up in the air, though we should actually start to hear some concrete news soon. There were photographs that showed some exterior sets being set up in New York City, and the full Spider-Man crew is expected to roll into production starting in November. With Andrew and Tobey? We shall see.
