Spider-Man: No Way Home is doing exactly what everyone thought it would do and is breaking records everywhere. It has already broken the billion dollar mark, the first film to do so since 2019, and is on its way to being Sony’s most successful film ever. The movie delivered on everything the fans wanted and was an incredible end to the first Ton Holland Spidey trilogy. One of the biggest moments in the film was of course the return of OG Web Heads in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Their inclusion as done perfectly, feeding on the nostalgia without pulling anything away from Holland’s story. Now, tanks to some insight from the film’s writers, we know that Maguire helped make sure that this happened.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers spoke about Maguire and Garfield helping them craft their inclusions into this film.
Sommers discussed how the two actors helped them shape their returns into the script:
“They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts. No one knows the character as well as — or gives as much thought to the character — as someone who has to then embody it and sell it. It’s always valuable to hear what the actor is thinking. It definitely shaped what we did.”
McKenna added that they wanted to make sure they elevated Holland’s Peter and his journey, instead of pulling attention away from him:
“They had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom’s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming. There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie. So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story.”
He added that the balance of bringing them in successfully was difficult:
“We were like, ‘We’ve got to make them each very specific.’ As writers, we kept saying, ‘Where are these characters in their lives when they come into the movie?’ Where is Tobey? We’re not de-agifying him. He’s a guy who is 43, who is entering this movie… We wanted to be true to the characters in those movies. Really having conversations about specifying where they are, without giving away too much. Not coming in, spilling all the beans. ‘Tobey’s Peter is running Peter Parker Industries!’ You just wanted to have little hints of that without it being all this exposition as fan service.”
Chris continued and talked about how Maguire wanted his backstory from after his trilogy to be minimal so as not to put the focus away from Holland:
“Tobey wanted to be very minimal about how much you know. Very, very minimal… Tobey especially has come through that darkness.”
They spoke about what Garfield wanted as well:
“Andrew really loved the idea of he’s still tortured over what happened in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and where that left him, and how they could bring that to Tom. ‘We can empathize with you. We do know what you are going through. If anyone in the world knows what you’re going through, it’s us.’ But also, ‘We can be beacons.’ Tobey especially has come through that darkness. We thought it was cool that Andrew’s Peter was still in the midst of that darkness.”
By not focusing a ton of time on exposition to try and explain all that these two versions of Spider-Man have been up to since they last were on screen, it let fans not pull their focus away from the current story that is unfolding in theaters at the moment. It also has another side effect, a positive one. Because the actors didn’t spend a ton of time explaining their backstories since their films, the door is back open (and thus rumors are running wild) for Tobey Maguire to get Spider-Man 4 and Andrew Garfield to get The Amazing Spider-Man 3 sometime down the line. Fans are of course very vocal now to get these films. And, if both actors are up for it, we could get movies that explore what these Spideys have been up to and where they are now in their universes.
Whatever happens, though, both Maguire and Garfield were amazing in No Way Home and if this is our last experience with them as the Wall Crawler – it was a good way to go out.
What do you think of Maguire and Garfield helping the Spider-Man: No Way Home writers bring them into the fold? Let us know in the comments below!