Though many have praised Andrew Garfield's take on Spider-Man, the actor actually prefers another iteration of the famous comic book character.
Garfield portrayed your friendly neighborhood superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man movies from 2012 to 2014 before being replaced by Tom Holland's Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it's actually the animated spin-off Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse that he's a fan of.
On Wednesday, December 6, the 40-year-old Brit hosted a screening of the 2023 animated superhero flick at The Cinema in The Power Station in London, followed by a Q&A with film producer Amy Pascal, screenwriters Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and composer-songwriter Daniel Pemberton. During the event (via a video in X), Garfield revealed was the first time he's ever moderated a Q&A, the star dubbed the film not only a "masterpiece of animation" but "a masterpiece of pure cinema," full stop. He said:
I'm so happy and honored to be here. This is the first time I've ever done a Q&A with any humans, let alone any humans that I love, after the movie that you just saw, which I think we can all agree is a masterpiece of animation. Also, a masterpiece of just pure cinema without any separation.
Audience videos shared by Twitter user @carlimav show Garfield's praise of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse during the Q&A.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse screening London #AndrewGarfield pic.twitter.com/vLQZUfF0h4December 6, 2023
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a sequel to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which itself was a hit with movie fans (CinemaBlend put it in our top 10 of that year) and filmmakers alike, like Star Wars director Rian Johnson. The sequel expanded on that film by introducing live-action characters to the animated franchise, including Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-Man, who appeared through archival footage from their respective movies.
Does Garfield's presence as moderator of that recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Q&A mean that there's a chance the actor will be a larger part of the upcoming finale of the animated trilogy? It's especially likely given that the sequel opened up the possibility of multiple variants of Gwen Stacy, Peter's love interest that was famously portrayed by Emma Stone, Garfield's real-life ex, in his two Spidey movies.
Garfield has previously shared his interest in returning to the overall Spider-Man franchise. Of suiting up yet again as the world-famous web slinger, the performer told revealed to Josh Horowitz on an episode of his Happy Sad Confused podcast that he was "definitely open to that" possibility:
In terms of moving forward with the character, yes I am definitely open to that. Again it would have to be something very unique, very special and serving to an audience and in service of the character. There’s something playful and unique and odd and unexpected to be done. I’m not sure what is but if we can figure it out it would be so much fun.
A team-up with Miles Morales seems a natural fit for getting Garfield back into the superhero fold, but we'll have to wait and see if the star will be entering the Spider-Verse again anytime soon. Stay tuned!
