Long-running franchises have it tough, because no matter how good they are, it’s inevitable that somewhere along the way it will jump the shark. When it comes to movies, oftentimes it happens with the fourth movie. You know what has a fourth film coming up? Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man, and while we know Tom Holland is coming back for a sequel at some point, he’s got concerns. Because, y’know, fourth films tend to suck.
Speaking with THR about his Apple series The Crowded Room (which was so emotional he’s taking a year off from acting), Holland expressed his excitement about returning as Peter Parker for a story that has genuine reason to exist…
“It was myself, [Spider-Man producer] Amy [Pascal], [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige, [executive producer] Rachel [O’Connor], sometimes other executives from Marvel will sit in,” Holland said. “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.”
However, Holland knows the history and reputation of fourth movies, and he’s a bit concerned…
“But 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.”
Of course, the writers strike has everything on pause right now, so who knows when Spider-Man 4 will arrive. I’ll just note that by the time it does get here, Holland is likely to be 30 years old and we might spend that movie joking about his old ass trying to play a teen. Just sayin’, it’s the kind of thing that could cause a movie to suck.