Nicholas Hammond, who starred in The Amazing Spider-Man television series in the 1970s, will not be reprising his role as the web-slinger for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about No Way Home, Hammond confirmed that he will not be making an appearance in the upcoming Sony MCU sequel because he was never actually approached about returning to the role of the beloved Marvel superhero for another onscreen stint, which he admits was disappointing.
"I think it would have been huge fun. It would have been a kick in the pants to have the old guy there," Hammond said of the third Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film, which is rumored to feature several versions of Spidey from past iterations. "I was really hoping I would be approached but unfortunately, that didn't happen."
He noted that he had enjoyed watching all three actors who have played Spider-Man on the big screen — though when he considers the performances of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, he finds himself drawn to one iteration in particular as he can spot similarities with his version of Spidey.
"Tom Holland's version is the closest to what we were doing; trying to make him very much a real guy, someone who you could actually forget he had these powers and get caught up in Peter's story," Hammond said, reflecting on his time playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the '70s. "That was what we were going for."
There have been hints that we will see several familiar faces in No Way Home, though it remains to be seen whether Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will make their way through the multiverse to our MCU. Garfield, however, has already denied any such rumors, saying, "this is not something I'm aware I am involved in."
Holland has previously said the cast and crew are treating No Way Home as the "end of a franchise," and it certainly seems like they are set to go out with a bang when the film hits theaters on December 17. Holland will star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon also returning as MJ and Ned.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.