The end of Spider-Man: No Way Home teased a whole new chapter in the life of Peter Parker. With his secret identity now secret once again, he’s free to go back to being both Spider-Man and Peter, even if that means his friends and loved ones don’t know who he is. It was an ending filled with possibility — but, apparently, that’s all it was.
In the 18 months since the release of that mega-hit, there hasn’t been much public momentum on a sequel. The ending may have felt like a billion ideas were just waiting to be executed — Peter trying to get MJ back, seeing how the Avengers react to him, fighting a new set of villains — but that wasn’t the case. Nothing specific had been planned. Writers were working on it, but when the strike hit, that also stopped. Now though, in a new interview, Tom Holland himself revealed he attended a series of meetings to talk about the future of the character and that, eventually, those meetings were productive.
“It was myself, [producer] Amy [Pascal], [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige, [executive producer] Rachel [O’Connor], sometimes other executives from Marvel will sit in,” Holland told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a collaborative process. The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why. I’m really, really happy with where we’re at in terms of the creative.”
Holland apparently went into those meetings with “a bunch of notes and ideas,” but is being very cautious about whether or not he should return at all. “I’m also a little apprehensive about it,” he continued. “There’s a bit of a stigma about the fourth one in all franchises. I feel like we hit a home run with our first franchise and there’s a part of me that wants to walk away with my head held high and pass the baton to the next lucky kid that gets to bring this character to life.”
Which, with the success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and live-action Miles Morales potentially on the way, that certainly is a way to go. But now that Holland says he and the producers “found the reason why” they should come back creatively, it feels increasingly likely he’ll be back in the red and blue as soon as possible.
Read more from Holland on all aspects of his career over at the Hollywood Reporter.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.