Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's producers explained the thought process behind including Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man cameos in the Sony Pictures sequel.
Maguire and Garfield became two of the biggest cameos fans saw in Spider-Verse 2, particularly since they were two of the few live-action characters that joined the previously exclusively animated universe.
And after they teamed up with Tom Holland in the MCU for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the chance for them to appear amongst so many other Spidey Variants was too good of an idea for people to ignore.
Spider-Verse 2 Producers on Tobey and Andrew
Speaking with The Wrap, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse executive producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller discussed their lack of limitations for cameos in this movie, which led to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's inclusions.
Lord explained how he and the team "built a chart" for all the characters and ideas developed for this movie, getting a sense of what was possible for the sequel:
"We built a chart, which is like, this is everything. And, this is our part."
Miller wanted the movie to tease that "anything’s possible in the Multiverse," hoping to get stories and plot points that are both interesting and fun for viewers:
"We like to feel like anything’s possible in the Multiverse and we just try to do things that seem interesting and fun for our story. And then we let the lawyers decide if they can."
And even with all of the things that the team wanted to do, Miller revealed that they were able to get everything into the movie that they wanted:
"That’s the crazy part. Everything we tried to do we were able to pull off."
Lord also explained that it's easier to go ahead and do something without permission, with Miller agreeing that it will eventually be ok with the higher-ups when it comes through:
Lord: "It helps if you don’t ask permission. It’s called a negative option. Are you okay with this? Email me back. You don’t hear back? It’s okay."
Miller: "It’s in the movie! I’m assuming you’re okay with this. I didn’t hear a no."
Will Tobey and Andrew Return for Spider-Verse 3?
Seeing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Across the Spider-Verse gave fans plenty to celebrate, especially as other live-action cameos like the one from Donald Glover took the spotlight as well.
But the big question now is whether fans will see more of these two iconic heroes once the Spider-Verse comes back into the spotlight, which will happen with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse as this trilogy is completed.
Currently, Spider-Verse 3 is quite early on in the development process, meaning there is plenty of time to work in a potential return for Maguire or Garfield should they decide to film new material.
And considering how many Spider-People have already gathered together as Miles Morales looks to fight a Multiversal version of himself, an "all-webs-on-deck" situation could be just what's needed for those two to make their presence felt.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters worldwide.
