Surprise No Way Home Characters Didn't Sign On Until Middle Of Filming

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the writers of Spider-Man: No Way Home, have revealed that the surprise characters from the film's finale didn't sign on until halfway through shooting. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the third entry in the MCU's Homecoming trilogy, which features Tom Holland as the wall-crawler. The hype around No Way Home was astronomical, as beyond the returning cast, like Marisa Tomei and Zendaya, the trailers revealed returning characters from previous Spider-Man franchises. Alfred Molina, who played Dr. Otto Octavious/Doc Ock, and Willem Dafoe, who played Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, were both returning to the characters, which they initially tackled in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films alongside Tobey Maguire. In addition, villains from Andrew Garfield's tenure as Spider-Man were also revealed in the trailer, with both the Lizard and Jamie Foxx's Electro being featured.

While the trailers revealed numerous returning villains caused by Peter and Doctor Strange's attempt to wipe Spider-Man's identity from the world's memory, the return of various other characters were swirling the rumor mill, namely the return of Maguire and Garfield. The multiverse storyline presented to fans in the trailer made their appearances possible, though it was never confirmed officially before release. Once audiences got to see the film, those rumors were confirmed, with both Maguire and Garfield appearing for a large portion of the film. The finale of Spider-Man: No Way Home sees the three Spider-Men taking on five villains in one of the most crowd-pleasing films the MCU has ever crafted. However, it would seem as though Maguire and Garfield didn't sign on until production was already underway.

In an interview with THR, McKenna and Sommers revealed that Maguire and Garfield didn't sign on until Spider-Man: No Way Home was already at the halfway point of its shooting schedule. No Way Home began production in October of 2020, and though plans for the film were grandiose, Maguire and Garfield didn't officially sign onto the project until December of 2020. As the writers, they had to write like they would have the actors, even if they hadn't been confirmed, with McKenna saying, "All you can do is act like we're getting everybody that we want and let the powers that be reach out to those people and see if this can actually become a reality." Luckily, Maguire and Garfield joined No Way Home, and the plan came together to the joy of the writers and audiences across the globe.

Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man

With everything rumored for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the audience expectations were through the roof. However, it seems like No Way Home has been able to satisfy those expectations, as it is currently one of the best-reviewed MCU and Spider-Man films by both critics and audiences. No Way Home also crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office after only 12 days of release. While the film does feature a tragic, albeit fitting end, the doors are wide open for another sequel.

Maguire and Garfield are likely done playing the character at this juncture, though fan outcry since No Way Home's release has the world asking for Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Whether or not that project ever comes together remains to be seen, though No Way Home shows that filmmaking miracles can happen. What is clear is that Holland will be returning as Spider-Man as there are plans for another trilogy of films featuring his iteration of Peter Parker. Currently, Spider-Man: No Way Home is still dominating the box office, thanks in no small part to good word of mouth about the surprising characters the film features.

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Source: THR