Into the Spider-Verse almost had a Holland-Garfield-Maguire crossover

By Rick Marshall May 7, 2020

Sony’s Oscar-winning animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was packed with fan-friendly cameos and nods to the larger Marvel Comics universe, but it almost featured a massive Spider-Man movie crossover, too.

According to Spider-Verse co-producer Christopher Miller, the film’s creative team initially pitched studio Sony Pictures Animation on bringing together live-action Spider-Man actors Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire for a post-credits scene.

Miller confirmed that the crossover was pitched to Sony during a Twitter-based “watch party” for Into the Spider-Verse hosted by ComicBook.com. According to Miller, the idea was shot down because the studio felt it was “too soon.”

We pitched the Sony brass an ambitious tag involving Spider-Ham, Tobey, Andrew, and Tom. They felt it was “too soon”#SpiderVerse #QuarantineWatchParty https://t.co/E91H1eLysr

— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) May 7, 2020

Rumors regarding a potential cameo for Holland, the current live-action Spider-Man actor, had circulated well before Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters, with Holland himself confirming that such a scene was considered, then cut after Sony decided it might confuse audiences.

However, the scene Miller described would have put Holland (the Spider-Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) on the same screen with original Spider-Man movie franchise actor Tobey Maguire and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise lead Andrew Garfield. Whether they would have appeared as animated versions of themselves or in their live-action roles remains unknown, but one thing is certain: It would have been an impressive moment for Spider-Man fans.

In the end, Sony decided to use the film’s post-credits scene to introduce another version of Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, with Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac voicing the future-version of the web-slinging hero.

Sony is already working on a sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that’s scheduled to hit theaters in 2022, so there’s still a chance that the live-action Spider-Man actors could get their crossover moment.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Entertainment

Like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Then read these 5 comic books right now

spider man across the verse read these comic books miles morales in

There's nothing quite like the unbreakable, youthful zeal exuding from Marvel's many iterations of the web-slinging hero, Spider-Man, that attracts audiences far and wide. Ever since Sony began producing big-budget Spider-Man movies over two decades ago, the quippy, yet charming wall-crawler has entertained countless audiences and raked in mountains of cash doing it. But in the modern age of superheroes, the tried and true mainstays of the past have evolved. Endless variations of Peter Parker are no longer the standard. Fresh, new characters to don the tights and web cartridges like Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales have entered the spotlight. And not only do they web-sling and kick butt like the rest of them, but their personal histories and stories are also endearing and often relatable.

Of course, if you aren't well-versed in comic books, you should know that Miles Morales has actually been around since 2011. The biracial Brooklyn teen first appeared in issue No. 4 of Ultimate Fallout. Miles isn't just another alliterative name and face to affix to a facsimile hero of what came before. He also has additional abilities including camouflaging himself against any surface and focused energy attacks referred to as "venom blasts." But Miles is far from the only Spider-Man in the latest film. With the multitude of Spider-people populating the latest animated adventure, there's plenty of comic book lore that informed the basis of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. So, if you're looking to dive beyond the film further into the world of Miles, Gwen, or even the Spider-Man of 2099, Miguel O'Hara, look no further than our guide below to some must-read adventures.
1. Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man

Entertainment

Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse better than Into the Spider-Verse?

The poster for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had a tall task ahead of it. The new film from Sony Pictures had to follow up on one of the greatest superhero movies of all time in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While Across pushes the boundaries of cinema even further than its predecessor, is that enough to top the remarkable achievement of the original?
Both movies possess unique and groundbreaking visuals

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse once again follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager in New York City who likes to sling webs in his free time. Miles has been his universe's one and only Spider-Man for over a year, and he's honed his Spidey skills significantly more than when audiences last saw him in 2018. Now, Miles is thrust into the reality of Spider-Man; how can he save everyone without losing himself? When his multiversal friend and fellow Spider-person Gwen Stacy returns to Miles' Earth on a mission, the entire multiverse is at risk of deteriorating. And it's all because of Miles.

Entertainment

5 awesome moments in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miguel holds Miles down in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is blowing away audiences worldwide with its many dimension-hopping, joke-slinging, and heart-filled moments. It's no surprise that this movie has already broken multiple box office records, and it's safe to say that this sequel has surpassed its predecessor in every conceivable way.

Just about every scene in this film is incredible, but atop this mountain of animated gold, these five moments shine the brightest. Note: the following article contains major spoilers from the movie.
The opening fight scene