Once upon a time, Sony Pictures had big plans for The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. A third and fourth movie had been announced, while a Sinister Six spinoff was also on the way (it would have included Andrew Garfield's wall-crawler and been directed by Drew Goddard).
When The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed - mostly due to a budget that spiralled wildly out of control - the decision was made to reboot the franchise, hence why Tom Holland's Peter Parker was able to swing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Captain America: Civil War was released.
Garfield, who continues to deny that he's going to return as his version of Spidey in Spider-Man: No Way Home, isn't bitter, though. Instead, he looks back at that time with a sense of gratitude.
"It was only beautiful," Garfield tells Variety. "I got to meet Emma [Stone] and work with her and Sally Field. I had karma with Amy Pascal, who was a mother figure, and we would fight, but ultimately, we loved each other on a deep level. We tried to meet as much in the middle as we could in terms of why I wanted to do this role, and what her needs were as the head of the studio."
The piece on Garfield actually includes comments from Pascal, and she also speaks positively of the actor's time as the iconic Marvel Comics superhero.
"I had worked with him a long time ago on a film called ‘The Other Boleyn Girl,’ but it was after David [Fincher] and I saw him in a series called ‘Red Riding’ that I knew he was a genius," the executive recalls. "He perfectly captured the inner life of a high school student as Peter. He exudes such pathos and such intelligence. I think everything good is coming to Andrew."
At this point, we're 99.9% sure that Garfield will reprise the role in the next Spider-Man movie, though everyone involved seems to be going to great lengths to keep it a surprise. Despite that, rumours persist that the second trailer will feature all three versions of the webbed wonder, and we're fully expecting that to arrive in time for Eternals this November (providing there are no further delays).
Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to be released in theaters on December 17, later this year!