Spider-Man 4: Tom Holland says he only wants to return to the character if it’s “worth the while”

Spider-Man actor Tom Holland says he doesn’t want to return to the franchise until there’s a story worth telling.

Tom Holland, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 4

After mucking with the Multiverse in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler has been noticeably absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recent reviews and box office returns suggest the MCU needs rescuing, and fans wonder if Holland’s Peter Parker could swing in and save the day. Speaking with Collider during a recent press conference with the Critics Choice Association, Tom Holland opened up about the possibility of Spider-Man 4 and what it would take to get him to squeeze into the red and blue suit once again.

All I can say is that we have been actively engaging in conversations about what it could potentially look like for a fourth rendition of my character. Whether or not we can find a way to do justice to the character is another thing. I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.”

Knowing that Spider-Man: No Way Home banked $1.9 billion at the box office, I have no doubt Sony is determined to spin up another Spider-Man sequel. Meanwhile, the Spider-Verse continues to expand with Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven, Madame Web, featuring Dakota Johnson as Jennifer Carpenter, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-VerseVenom 3, and various other projects all in the works. While Holland says a story is still in the incubation stage, one has to wonder how long the studio will wait to announce Spider-Man 4 officially.

Marvel is taking a bit of a tumble after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes contributed to a loss in momentum for the MCU, with Deadpool 3 being the only film left on the studio’s 2024 schedule. Can Spider-Man 4 slip into a Phase 6 slot? Will another project get bumped to bring the wheat cake-obsessed wall-crawler back to theaters for an all-but-guaranteed payday? If Holland wants to protect the legacy of his Spidey success, writers and filmmakers must bring their A-game for the web fluid-flinging character’s next crisis.

What are your ideas for Spider-Man 4? Which villains would you like to see Spider-Man square off against? Should Sony introduce a live-action Miles Morales of Ghost-Spider to pick up the torch? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 

Source: Collider

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.