Sony’s official Twitter responded to a mounting campaign for a Spider-Man 4 fronted by Tobey Maguire – but it might not be the reaction some people expected.
It’s no question that Spider-Man: No Way Home has been a game-changer for Sony. Not only did the action movie become the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, with box office takings of $1.69 billion, but it was the first film since the pandemic to hit that $1 billion milestone. It is also the third-fastest movie to hit that milestone ever, and according to Sony Pictures is the studio’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
Arguably, part of the MCU Phase 4 thriller‘s success was due to the return of several classic Spider-Man villains, from Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin to Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. But most of all, it was the return of fellow spider-men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield that cemented the movie’s success, with fans starting social media campaigns for both Maguire and Garfield’s Peter Parkers to get their own standalone sequels.
With Maguire’s Spider-Man being one of several rumoured cameos for Doctor Strange 2, the appetite for the OG Spidey seems especially strong, to the point that Sam Raimi, who directed Spider-Man 3, spoke out about a potential fourth movie in a recent interview.
“Anything is possible, really anything in the Marvel universe, any team-ups,” he said. “I love Tobey. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible.” With Dunst, who played Tobey’s beloved MJ, also making it clear she would be on board with reprising the role, it feels like it’s only a matter of time for Sony to get the ball rolling.
However, with passionate Marvel fans blowing up the official Sony Twitter, it was up to the social media team behind its account to offer up a white flag of surrender. “Well, this has been fun for our mentions today,” the official account wrote, in reference to a tweet quoting Raimi’s recent interview. “Friendly reminder we’re just the social team!”
well this has been fun for our mentions today 😂😂
friendly reminder, we’re just the social team!
— Sony (@Sony) April 6, 2022
While this response might disappoint some fans, they shouldn’t speak too soon. After all, with a cut Morbius scene including a reference to Maguire’s Spider-Man, it’s clear the original web-slinger is at the forefront of the studio’s minds…
You can watch Peter 2’s journey across the first three Spider-Man movies on the streaming service Netflix. Meanwhile. Sam Raimi’s next outing as director is in the fantasy movie epic Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which lands in theatres on May 4.