Working actors try to do everything in their power to stay working. There are few things more terrifying to an actor than a steady gig ending, because you never really know when the next opportunity is going to present itself. Mind you, the Dwayne Johnson and Jennifer Lawrence’s of the world aren’t concerned by this anymore. They can work when they want to work. And now it’s sounding like Tom Holland has reached that level of comfortably taking a break from acting, without worrying that the work won’t be there when he decides to return.
Following in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds (who announced a break from acting), Jennifer Lawrence, and Black Widow co-star Florence Pugh, Uncharted star Tom Holland recently said that he was planning to take a break from acting. He has one more project on his radar that he plans to hop in to, but after that, he’s disappearing. Only, that project isn’t a fourth Spider-Man movie, and that got us thinking, “Will this hiatus keep Spidey on the backburner for longer than we want?” Let’s break this all down.
What Tom Holland Said.
So, Tom Holland has been making the press rounds on behalf of Uncharted, which currently is in theaters. And while speaking with the Brazilian outlet CinePOP, Holland let the following slip:
I am going back to shoot a TV show for Apple, which I’m really excited about. It’s a very challenging role written by the amazing Akiva Goldsman. I think the scripts are some of the best I’ve ever read, so I’m really, really excited to do that. But I can confidently say after I finish that TV show, I will be taking a break.
There’s that word. “Break.” It caused all sorts of problems for Ross and Rachel on the TV show Friends. And now it likely has Spider-Man fans wringing their hands. We’ll discuss that in a moment. For now, it’s exciting that Tom Holland is trying his hand at a limited TV series. He has history with Apple, having teamed with them (and the Russo brothers) for the overlooked drama Cherry. And Holland joins the latest line of movie stars who are taking their talents to television – even though, yes, some of them are struggling to find massive success in the new format.
Holland praises the scripts, and seems genuinely enthused about taking on this “challenging role.” We will no doubt follow him over to the new show, to see if it’s worth investing in. But it’s not about Peter Parker, and that could mean trouble for Marvel’s friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.
Will Tom Holland’s Break Affect Spider-Man?
I mean, this has a lot to do with the length of the break. If Tom Holland’s taking a month or two off, then no, that hiatus shouldn’t have any affect on him returning to play Spider-Man. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made it clear once Spider-Man: No Way Home opened that they were in active development on the next Spider-Man movie, and all of us assumed this meant that Holland would be back in the suit. There’s no script for a fourth Spider-Man movie, so filming wouldn’t begin any time soon. The production calendar could afford Holland a lengthy rest, so he can do the fourth Spider-Man feeling refreshed and ready.
As of right now, there is no announced release date for a fourth Marvel Spider-Man movie, and the MCU has dates for the next six Upcoming Marvel Movies. They would take audiences through Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on July 28, 2023… and that movie’s in production as we speak. In fact, I think it wrapped filming. Even before Marvel moved forward on Spider-Man 4, the studio has been teasing Jon Watts’ Fantastic Four, Mahershala Ali as Blade, a fourth Captain America movie with Anthony Mackie in the lead role, Shang-Chi 2, and more. These films all could leap frog ahead of Tom Holland’s sequel in the production pipeline, giving the actor a longer break than he even expected.
Or, someone else could step into the suit.
What If Tom Holland’s Break Lasts A Long Time?
Then as we have seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, there are other Spider-Man actors who could carry a film and allow the MCU Spidey to take an extended vacation. Not that I’m trying, in any way, to replace Tom Holland as Spider-Man. He’s an excellent Peter Parker, and the closing minutes of Spider-Man: No Way Home suggest that he has finally become the Spider-Man we know he’s destined to become. But with so many Marvel projects on the horizon, it would be possible for Sony to make a new Spider-Man movie in their ever-developing Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters using either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.
Fans have been lobbying for the two original Spider-Man actors to return to their versions of the characters, either in Spider-Man 4 (for Tobey) or The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (for Andrew). There also has been speculation that Garfield could be dropped into the next Venom movie, going toe-to-toe with Tom Hardy. Such a project would meet an audience’s need for a new Spidey movie, while also allowing Tom Holland to take an extended break from playing Peter on screen.
Will any of this happen? We will have to see, but at the very least, Marvel and Sony have options, and aren’t at the mercy of Holland wanting (or not wanting) to work on a demanding feature film. For the time being, Holland has Uncharted in theaters, and our review of the film is ready for you to read.
