Spider-Man 3.0 is set to start filming in a couple months and the film is officially titled Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is overtly a nod to Spider-Man’s high school roots but also seems to be a meta commentary on his joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zendaya was the first to join Tom Holland as part of Peter Parker’s friend group, and they’ve since added Tony Revolori and Laura Harrier, so they’re really committed to Peter having an inclusive group of friends. Good.
But the big gun is RDJ, who will appear in the movie, playing Tony Stark once again. It makes a lot of sense, since it’s Stark who recruits Peter into the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, where they establish a mentor/mentee relationship. But it also makes sense because crossing over characters is the whole point of a shared universe, and it’s way more fun when it’s the marquee Avengers making guest appearances in other franchises.
Of course this means another big-ass payday for RDJ. His original contract ended a few years ago and now Marvel has to renegotiate every time they want him. His last renegotiation included a whopper of a bonus if Captain America: Civil War outperforms Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is a given at this point. Undoubtedly there will be similar incentives attached to his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He’s still not making Johnny Depp Pirates Private Island money, though, but he’s in much less embarrassing movies, so I suppose it’s a fair trade.
PS. This isn’t the only Avenger cross-over I expect to hear about this summer.
Attached - RDJ at the Berlin premiere of Captain America: Civil War today.
