Why Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 4 Can't Happen Right Now, According To Sam Raimi

More than 15 years ago, director Sam Raimi and Sony Pictures parted ways on what would have been "Spider-Man 4," which would have brought back Tobey Maguire for one more solo adventure as Marvel's famed webslinger. Fans still wonder what could have been, especially after 2007's "Spider-Man 3," which Raimi has personally referred to as "awful." All these years later, could we see Raimi and Maguire reunite one last time? Not right now, but it sounds like the filmmaker is taking a never-say-never approach.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press while promoting his new horror movie "Send Help," which recently took the number one spot at the box office, Raimi addressed the possibility of "Spider-Man 4." As the director explained, Sony and Marvel Studios have a lot going on with the character within the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Tom Holland currently playing Peter Parker. Interrupting that, in his view, doesn't make a lot of sense. Down the line, though, who knows? Here's what he had to say about it:

"I think the kids would like to see him. Right now Marvel is very successful on their own tangent with their own Spider-Man, where he is involved with the Avengers and the other superheroes. So I do not think it makes sense right now to break up that great successful run they are having, just to allow me to make another Spider-Man movie. But I would love to. The day might come, and I would love to do it."

Raimi's original "Spider-Man" was a box office smash that proved superheroes were not just a fad. It was the first movie to ever make $100 million in a single weekend, pulling in over $820 million worldwide in total.

"Spider-Man 2" was met with even more critical praise and similarly huge returns at the box office. While "Spider-Man 3" is widely regarded as the worst of the bunch, it was also the biggest earner of the trilogy, pulling in nearly $900 million in 2007. This was before the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it kicked off with "Iron Man" in 2008. Creative differences got between Sam Raimi and Sony, with the two parting ways and paving the way for the Andrew Garfield-led "The Amazing Spider-Man" reboot.

That reboot was reasonably successful, but "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" killed the franchise despite being a box office success (on paper, at least). That set the stage for Tom Holland's version of Spidey to appear in the MCU, thanks to a deal between Sony and Disney that remains in effect to this day. That deal led to 2021's groundbreaking "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in 2021, which united all three big-screen Spideys under one roof.

"No Way Home" was a rousing success, taking in more than $1.9 billion at the box office. In the aftermath of that success, Raimi suggested that "Spider-Man 4" with Tobey Maguire could happen. That comment also came after the Raimi-directed "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which was a big hit for Marvel Studios in 2022.

Right now, Sony has "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" with Holland arriving this summer, while Marvel Studios is focused on "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." After that dust settles though, anything is possible. The ball is more in Sony's court since they control the "Spider-Man" movie rights. At the very least, we can't rule it out in light of Raimi's new comments.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" hits theaters on July 31, 2026.