Sony and Marvel’s latest collaboration is rumoured to be their biggest yet – but where’s that trailer?

By Huw Fullerton

Published: Monday, 23 August 2021 at 12:00 am


Spider-Man fans have been desperate to see a trailer for the long-awaited sequel No Way Home – and now it seems that one of them may have taken matters into their own hands, with an unfinished cut of the first-look teaser apparently released online before Marvel and Sony quickly took it off the internet.

Still, hopefully this means that the real trailer can’t be far behind, with star Tom Holland also teasing the footage on his Instagram stories. Hopefully, there’s not long left now…

With this upcoming movie being the character’s sixth appearance in the MCU and possibly drawing inspiration from past iterations, now might be a good time to check out our guide on how to watch Spider-Man films in order – or go the extra mile and arrange an epic MCU marathon with our complete overview of the Marvel movies in order.

Alternatively, read on for everything we know so far about Spider-Man: No Way Home, part of a slate of upcoming Marvel movies.

Read more: Marvel movies in order

Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer

Despite fans’ endless campaigning, the trailer for No Way Home STILL hasn’t officially arrived – though a leaked version gave certain fans a hint of what they could expect, once the special effects were finished.

Hopefully, the real trailer isn’t far behind the leak – but in the meantime, the first official images from the film were released in February 2021, showing Peter, MJ and Ned back investigating a mysterious location – is it something we’ve seen before?

Some fans have speculated that this could be a dilapidated version of Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum as Benedict Cumberbatch is expected to appear here, but that remains unconfirmed at present.

First official look at ‘Spider-Man 3’ ???? pic.twitter.com/mXxbkn9DWS

— Fandom (@getFANDOM) February 23, 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home release date 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Spider-Man: No Way Home has been delayed by roughly one month to 17th December 2021, moving from an earlier date in November.

In addition to the chaos that COVID-19 has wreaked on virtually every aspect of modern life, it has also affected the entire Marvel phase four release schedule, meaning this latest target date is subject to change again.

For now, it seems that production is going relatively smoothly, barring a minor knee injury suffered by Tom Holland which required him to take a few days off to rest (via Den of Geek).

Spider-Man: No Way Home is likely to arrive on Netflix at some point in 2022, after the streaming service signed a content deal with Sony Pictures earlier this year.

We’ll keep this page updated with the latest information on Spider-Man: No Way Home’s release date as it comes in.

Spider-Man 3 title

CONFIRMED: After months of speculation, we finally know that the third entry in Tom Holland’s superhero saga will be titled Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The news comes shortly after Holland joined forces with his co-stars Jacob Batalon and Zendaya to release three fake names for the film – Phone Home, Home Wrecker and Home Slice – which succeeded in fooling some fans.

This prank was seemingly part of Sony’s publicity strategy for the much-anticipated project, as it is referenced in this official clip unveiling the true title.

This, we can confirm. #SpiderManNoWayHome only in movie theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/kCeI8Vgkdm

— Spider-Man: No Way Home (@SpiderManMovie) February 24, 2021

The reveal of Spider-Man: No Way Home has sparked fresh speculation that this movie will see the wallcrawler swinging into a Spider-Verse story, as it suggests he could find himself trapped in an alternate universe.

Prior to this announcement, fans had put forward their own comedy suggestions, which included Home Run, Work From Home and Homesick.

Spider-Man: No Way Home plot theories 

As is typical for an MCU movie, plot details are few and far between right now, although there is heavy fan speculation that we could get a live-action Spider-Verse storyline in this third outing.

The return of Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange very much fuelled this fan theory, with the Sorcerer Supreme potentially guiding Peter Parker through the multiverse.

Speaking about how Doctor Octopus would be able to return despite his death in Spider-Man 2, Molina explained that he was told by director Jon Watts, “In this universe, no one really dies” and that his storyline would pick up from his drowning in the East River at the end of the 2004 film – which again hints that a multiverse angle is certainly possible.

Both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire have been associated with this blockbuster sequel too, but they remain unconfirmed at the time of writing and Holland has also denied their involvement.

Besides, there may not be time for a full Spider-Verse saga when the sequel will also have to resolve the cliffhanger ending of Far from Home, which saw Peter Parker unmasked as Spider-Man in a viral report by conspiracy theorist J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons).

If that wasn’t bad enough, he was also framed as a murderer in doctored footage leaked by the late Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), meaning he could find himself in hot water with law enforcement.

Another possibility for the third film includes the prospect of the Sinister Six (Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman and Kraven the Hunter) appearing on-screen together, something which has been teased by producer Amy Pascal.

Given that Sony and Marvel’s new deal currently only extends to one more solo movie, it could also be that the film will have to give a reason for Peter leaving the MCU after that. We’re calling multiverse shenanigans again.

Spider-Man: No Way Home cast

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Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home is rumoured to star Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Verse crossover
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While we don’t have a complete cast list just yet, we do know that Tom Holland will be back in the role of Peter Parker, while Zendaya and Jacob Balaton are returning as love interest MJ and best friend Ned respectively.

In addition, Marisa Tomei is a likely candidate to reappear as Parker’s Aunt May, with Jon Favreau reportedly set to return as her love interest and Tony Stark’s former right-hand man, Happy Hogan.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange has been announced for the cast in another mentor role, while his close associate Wong (Benedict Wong) was also spotted in a recent No Way Home LEGO set, suggesting he too is returning.

You can expect more from Peter, Ned and MJ’s fellow high school students, played by Angourie Rice and Tony Revolori, while JB Smoove has confirmed that he will also be returning as their well-meaning (but incompetent) teacher Mr Dell.

But of course, the announcements that have gained the most attention are the return of two Spidey villains from previous films set outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jamie Foxx is confirmed to be returning as Electro (from 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and Alfred Molina will reprise his Doctor Octopus role (from 2004’s Spider-Man 2).

This has sparked rumours that Marvel could be looking to crossover their pre-MCU films for a Spider-Verse story, with original Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield widely speculated to also be involved.

As if that weren’t enough, industry pundit Grace Randolph claims that Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone could also return as love interests Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

JUST HEARD THIS FROM MY SOURCE AS WELL!#KirstenDunst is DEFINITELY BACK for #SpiderMan3#EmmaStone in TALKS but LIKELY

Can’t wait to see them with #Zendaya!#Marvel #MCU pic.twitter.com/Q1hzOZeDYQ

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) December 8, 2020

However, in its latest statement on the matter, Sony Pictures said that any potential No Way Home casting is not yet confirmed, so fans should take these reports with a pinch of salt for now.

It’s also been rumoured that JK Simmons will reprise his role as J Jonah Jameson, a role he originally played in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, before returning for an unforgettable post-credits appearance in 2019’s Far From Home.

Speaking to Collider, the actor said: “There is a distinct chance, there have been discussions, and I’m not going to say anything definitive because I don’t know if I’m allowed to. But yes, I’m very optimistic that I’ll have some more JJJ in my future.”

Less optimistic is Paul Giamatti, who briefly played Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and told ComicBook.com that he was happy to “just leave it all”, showing little interest in returning to the super villain role.

Will Daredevil appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

It has long been rumoured that Charlie Cox’s crime-fighting lawyer Daredevil could finally make the jump from Netflix to the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home – but we’re still agonisingly waiting for confirmation.

Back in April 2020, Cox responded to early speculation of his involvement with a firm rebuttal, even suggesting that Marvel could be recasting the role with another actor (via Comic Book).

However, in December 2020, fresh reports emerged that Cox would appear in No Way Home, accompanied by a flurry of all-new rumours that he could be in the running for a Disney Plus appearance.

The topic came up once again in February 2021, when Sony Pictures released a casting call for actors to appear in a courtroom scene in the upcoming blockbuster. Fans wasted no time connecting this to the hopeful return of the MCU’s most prolific practicing lawyer: Matt Murdock.

Again, there’s no official word yet on the return of Daredevil so you would be wise not to get your hopes up too high – although given how enthusiastic the response was on social media, it might be too late for that.

What happened with Sony and Marvel? 

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Essentially what happened was that after three years of making Spider-Man movies together, Sony and Marvel’s coproduction deal fell apart, with sources suggesting Disney wanted a bigger slice of the profits than Sony were willing to give.

There was a huge fan backlash against the change with many pinning the blame on Sony, and for a while it seemed unlikely that a new deal would be made.

However, a few months later the two studios struck a new deal to create one last solo Spider-Man movie together, and to include Tom Holland’s webbed wonder in at least one more MCU team-up movie. After that, who knows?

“I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it,” said Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige in a statement.

“Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”

“This is terrific,” added Sony exec Amy Pascal. “Peter Parker’s story took a dramatic turn in Far From Home and I could not be happier we will all be working together as we see where his journey goes.

“This has been a winning partnership for the studios, the franchise and the fans and I’m overjoyed it will continue.”

In a surprise twist, apparently it may have been Holland who saved the partnership, with reports suggesting the deal was “100 percent dead” until the young actor used his influence at Sony and Disney to thaw relations and get people back around the table (via Hollywood Reporter).

Will the next Spider-Man movie star Venom and Morbius?

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While Spider-Man is part of the MCU, Sony has already been developing its own franchise of Spidey villains unconnected to that franchise, starting with Tom Hardy’s Venom in 2018 and continuing with Morbius (starring Jared Leto).

Now that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe again, it seems unlikely he’ll meet up with Sony’s antiheroes just yet – though after the new deal concludes, it could be that he’ll then appear.

Will there be a Spider-Man Sinister Six movie?

Rumour has it that long-dead plans for a Sony movie based around the Sinister Six – a loose collection of Spider-Man villains that often includes Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio and Sandman – could be back on the cards.

Sony executive Amy Pascal has hinted that the presence of Vulture, Mysterio and sometime team member Shocker in the recent Spider-Man movies could point towards a team-up in the future.

“These villains we now have in our universe happen to be characters that are in the Sinister Six,” Pascal said. “There may be something that happens with that.”

Previously, Sony had worked on a script with writer-director Drew Goddard to be spun out of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man incarnation, but when that film series was called off the idea was mothballed.

But as recently as last December Pascal had suggested she fancied bringing the idea back to life.

“I’m just waiting for Drew to be ready to direct it,” Pascal told Vanity Fair. “I would do anything with Drew Goddard. I’m just waiting for him to tell me he wants to.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled for release in cinemas in December 2021. Find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.