Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has spoken out against the secrecy surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home, and assured fans that a trailer will be arriving before the movie’s December 17 release date.
Speaking to Cinema Blend, Feige claimed that it had “not necessarily occurred to [him] that [the movie] is any more or less secret than any of [Marvel’s] other projects,” though fans have so far only been treated to its official title and a few images.
While Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon and Marisa Tomei are all expected to reprise their roles in the MCU, speculation is rife that both Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina will return as Electro and Doctor Octopus, respectively, with ex-Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield also the subject of appearance rumors.
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At present, the most concrete look at No Way Home (beyond its title) has come through Funko POP!s, Lego sets and other toy-related merchandise. Eager fans have spotted a black and gold Spidey suit, for instance, reminiscent of a comic book storyline that sees Peter Parker lose his web-slinging powers.
Elsewhere, both Vulture and Mysterio – who appeared in Homecoming and Far From Home, respectively – have cropped up in some No Way Home-branded Lego sets, which some fans have interpreted as teasing the potential appearance of the Sinister Six in the upcoming movie (if those rumors surrounding Electro and Doctor Octopus also prove accurate).
It’s clear, though, that the third entry in Sony Pictures’ Tom Holland-led Spidey franchise is being kept under especially-tight wraps, despite Feige’s protestations against special secrecy treatment for the movie.
That said, we will definitely see a trailer before the movie releases – the Marvel boss has at least confirmed that much.
“I think [with] all of our projects,” Feige told Cinema Blend, “we want to preserve surprises. That's all the secrecy is for. It will be in theaters on December 17, and there will be a trailer before that, you can be assured.”
Whatever you say, Kevin.
Analysis: Bucking the trend
The radio silence around Spider-Man: No Way Home seems more deafening given the extensive marketing material surrounding Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is scheduled to hit theatres on September 3, 2021 – just three months before No Way Home.
At present, Shang-Chi has two action-packed trailers, with the first arriving back in April, five months prior to the movie’s release date. If No Way Home isn’t being treated differently to any other Marvel project, why haven’t we seen any comparable promotional material for the next Spidey film, which is now less than four months from release?
By comparison, Spider-Man: Far From Home's first trailer rolled out in January 2019 – just under six months from release.
It’s certainly a different tack from Marvel, but the answer seemingly lies in Sony Pictures’ involvement in the movie as its distributors. Walt Disney Studios marketing president, Asad Ayaz, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that "Sony is absolutely handling the marketing for [No Way Home],” but added that “we are not working together on the campaigns because it's their film.”
It figures, then, that the marketing wheels are moving a little slower on Tom Holland's next outing as Spidey – though with a trailer now confirmed to arrive ahead of the film’s December release, the fervour surrounding No Way Home is only set to intensify.
