Sony Pictures debunks Spider-Man 3 rumors of former Peter Parker actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield joining the Marvel movie cast. Maguire played the wall-crawling superhero in all three of Sam Raimi's movies - Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 - while Garfield took over the role for Sony's reboot of the franchise in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man. After Garfield's second turn as Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, didn't perform as well as expected, Sony struck a deal with Marvel Studios that allowed the latter to introduce Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Tom Holland cast in the role.

Holland has since played Spider-Man in team-up movies like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as well as led his own solo series within the MCU. After starring in both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Holland is next set to lead the as-yet-untitled Spider-Man 3, which is ramping up production. In recent weeks, the cast has been filled out, with Benedict Cumberbatch set to reprise his MCU role as Doctor Strange. In a more shocking move, Marvel and Sony brought back Jamie Foxx to play Electro, after the actor played the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This opened up speculation that other Amazing Spider-Man and Raimi's Spider-Man actors could return as well - including the men who previously donned the web-slinger's superhero suit.

Related: Every Character Confirmed For MCU Spider-Man 3 (So Far)

This week, rumors circulated online that Maguire and Garfield were either in talks or already locked in to play their respective Peter Parker characters in Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man 3. However, in a statement to ET Canada, a representative of Sony Pictures said, "Those rumoured castings are not confirmed." Studios don't always comment on casting rumors, but in this case, Sony has debunked the currently circulating rumors about Maguire and Garfield.

Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, And Tom Holland

Sony's statement is clear that these castings are not confirmed, so anyone coming across the rumors should take reports of Maguire and Garfield's involvement with Spider-Man 3 with a huge grain of salt. Of course, that's not to say things don't change. Sony's statement doesn't indicate whether they're trying to cast Maguire and Garfield, just that it's not confirmed at this time. It's also possible that even if the actors were to officially sign on to the project, their castings would be kept a secret in order to surprise viewers once Spider-Man 3 hits theaters. As of now, though, Sony has confirmed that Maguire and Garfield are not officially part of Spider-Man 3.

In the end, that may be a good thing. With Electro and Doctor Strange set for Spider-Man 3, Sony and Marvel's movie will already have a great deal of connections to the MCU and previous Spider-Man franchises. Since these characters point to Spider-Man 3 dealing with the multiverse, it opens up the possibility of other actors/characters from Raimi's trilogy and the Amazing Spider-Man movies crossing over with the MCU. But if that were to happen in Spider-Man 3, the movie runs the risk of becoming overstuffed. Holland's Peter Parker will already be sharing the screen with Cumberbatch's Strange and Foxx's Electro - and whoever else is cast in the film. If Maguire and Garfield were to join Spider-Man 3 as well, it could make for a convoluted or underdeveloped story, unless they only appear in brief cameos. For now, it's confirmed the former Spideys aren't involved in Spider-Man 3, but it remains to be seen what exactly Sony and Marvel have planned for Holland's next solo outing.

Next: Spider-Man 3 Theory: It’s MCU Spider-Verse

Source: ET Canada

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