Tom Holland helped keep Spider-Man in the MCU with an 11th-hour appeal
When you consider Peter Parker’s tremendously sticky situation at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, it’s a good thing that Sony and Disney managed to make amends long enough for at least one more Spidey film and a handful of appearance in the MCU. While fans of the partnership were left distraught by the news that the two titans would not be renewing their relationship before the trilogy’s third installment, few can claim they were as devastated as the webslinging hero himself, Tom Holland. Few can also claim to have the same access to the major decision-makers behind one of the most dramatic deals in recent memory which, luckily, worked to everyone’s benefit in the end.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor made “multiple appeals” to Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger and Sony film chairman Tom Rothman, encouraging each to return to negotiations. If the idea of one young actor actually convincing two heads of billion-dollar conglomerates to set aside egos long enough to compromise sounds like a stretch, well… that’s understandable. But after a surprise appearance at this year’s D23 just days after the news broke led to massive fan campaigns to “save Spider-Man,” Holland was able to point to fan support as a reason to revisit negotiations. In the end, they were able to land on a deal that would still allow Disney to take home 25% of the third film’s net gross—a potentially sizable payday considering that the last Spider-Man film managed to cross the billion-dollar mark, which was a first for the franchise.
So fans likely have Tom Holland to thank for reminding a couple of big wigs that they could still stand to make a ton of money, and for ultimately saving the rest of us from a ridiculous cliffhanger. More importantly, we should thank him for his reaction to last week’s news, which is what really makes him the MVP here.