There's been plenty of buzz surrounding Spider-Man 3 (no, not that one. Not that other one either.) The upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home has drawn the eyes of many due to rumors that it will bring back old faces for a team-up potentially on the level of the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Well, it looks like those were more than just rumors.
Following official news that Alfred Molina would be returning to reprise his role as Doctor Octopus from 2004's Spider-Man 2, it now turns out that Kirsten Dunst is reportedly returning as Mary Jane Watson from the same set of films. Plus, according to the same sources, Andrew Garfield will come back to play his take on Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the slightly more divisive The Amazing Spider-Man duology.
Of course, to complete the trifecta, they would also need Tobey Maguire to make an appearance as well (though perhaps with fewer dance moves this time), and if Sony and Marvel can close a deal with him, that may be all but assured. According to Collider (who reported the possible news on Dunst and Garfield), they also expect Emma Stone to take another crack at the franchise as Gwen Stacy, though that may depend on the status of the actress's pregnancy.
This is all possible (and probable) due to the nature of the upcoming film. Spider-Man 3 will focus on the multiverse featured in Into the Spider-Verse, which not only allows for such crossovers, but practically begs for them. This is all contrary to Sony coyly trying to shrug off rumors of these exact casting choices, so while it's technically possible some of these revelations may be disproven in time, the likelihood points to the majority of them being true.
Everything needs its own connected universe these days, it seems. Marvel popularized the idea with 2012's The Avengers to the point where other franchises seem to deem it necessary now to add their own crossovers. Less than successful endeavors in that area such as Universal's "Dark Universe" may poke holes in that perceived necessity, but if there's any property that can pull it off, Spider-Man is one of the most likely. Its shared universe is already an integral part of its comics, and it's not like it's crossing over with completely unrelated heroes. These are all different Spider-People. That cohesiveness can go a long way in making things run smoothly.
However things turn out, the prospect of seeing old friends return is always exciting. Regardless of their reception, every Spider-Man film is somebody's favorite, and that alone is enough to make such an ambitious undertaking worthwhile. Hopefully, everything reported here turns out true, but even if only half of it is, it'll still be a real spectacle.
Source: Collider