It won’t be a stretch to say that the popularity of the superhero movies of today was brought into the mainstream with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.
Often regarded as the best depiction of the web-slinger, Tobey Maguire had etched his legacy in the minds and the hearts of fans of the superhero with his absolutely exceptional portrayal of a superhero character, let alone the character of Spider-Man. Even to this day, the original Sam Raimi Trilogy remains a classic to many around the world.
Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
And with his recent reappearance in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: No Way Home alongside Andrew Garfield, another version of the friendly-neighborhood superhero, it was like Christmas had arrived early, and Santa Claus was extra generous with his gift. For many, seeing Maguire donning the suit once again was emotional, to say the least, and exciting to put it mildly. But what many might not know is that he could’ve been back sooner, as the 4th installment of the original trilogy was actually in the works before it was canceled.
Tobey Maguire Reveals That Spider-Man 4 Would’ve Been Better Than Any Other!
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3
Most of the audience was in tears to see the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home alongside the MCU’s Spider-Man Tom Holland. Like a wish granted by a higher power, fans were overjoyed when they saw three generations of Spider-Men on the same screen at the same time. This plan helped boost the box-office sales of the movie, making it reach $1.4 Billion in sales.
You may also like: ‘It was really, like, brotherhood first’: Andrew Garfield Has No Interest in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Returned in No Way Home Because He Wanted To Support Tom Holland
But even before all of this was a thing, there was a 4th film in the original Sam Raimi trilogy that was in the works. After the success of Spider-Man 3, the team started to work on the script for the 4th film and even started making designs for the suits of the then-scheduled supervillain, the Vulture, who was all set to be played by John Malkovich. But the mediocre success of the third film was not satisfactory from Sony’s perspective, who later canceled the entire franchise. Before the cancelation, Maguire had revealed all the details of the then-upcoming film.
During the interview, he said:
“Well, right now, we’re working on it, and everybody’s intention is to get it out for 2011. We’re totally in process in terms of the development of the story, and there’s really good stuff there”
Apart from the aforementioned reasons for cancelation, it was also reported that the other reason for Sony scrapping the original was due to director Sam Raimi’s disapproval of the script, which lead to disputes within the organization, that eventually lead to the cancelation.
You may also like: “He has finally made peace”: Spider-Man 4 Had a Dark, Grim Storyline For Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, Explains His Sage Wisdom in No Way Home
What’s Next For Spider-Man?
Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire recreating the popular 3 Spider-Man meme
With the inclusion of all three versions of Spider-Man now becoming part of the MCU, it opens up a lot of possibilities for Marvel Studios to explore and expand on the opportunity. Even though Tom Holland stated that this was his last swing as the web-slinger in the MCU, Sony still possesses the rights to all the Spider-Man films as well as the versions, which in turn gives Marvel Studios a bargaining chip to collaborate with sony to create an integrated Spider-Verse, which if becomes reality, would create an empire that might give the MCU a run for their money.
You may also like: Tom Holland vs Andrew Garfield vs Tobey Maguire: Who Should Lead Sony’s Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: No Way Home, now streaming on Starz
Source: Associated Press