The upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home is rumored to star a bevy of previous Spidey incarnations, but there's one actor who definitely wasn't contacted about reprising his role -- and he was the very first to star as Peter Parker in live-action.
"I think it would have been huge fun," actor Nicholas Hammond told The Hollywood Reporter, ruminating on how Marvel never contacted him to make a cameo in Spider-Man's next film. The actor portrayed Peter and his spandex-clad alter ego in the CBS television series The Amazing Spider-Man, which ran for two seasons from 1977 to 1979. "It would have been a kick in the pants to have the old guy there. I was really hoping I would be approached but unfortunately, that didn't happen."
The Amazing Spider-Man marked the first time character had been adapted for a live-action television run, and lasted for only 13 episodes plus a pilot film before it was canceled. Two theatrical films -- Spider-Man Strikes Back and Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge -- released outside of the United States and were made by combining episodes from the show. Despite reasonably successful ratings, The Amazing Spider-Man did not reach the heights of other live-action superhero series of the time, such as CBS' The Incredible Hulk. It was also criticized by Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, who reportedly disliked its interpretation of the character.
"I think what Stan was disappointed by was a choice we made -- that frankly, I felt was the right choice -- which was to root it all in reality," Hammond said. "Meaning, we did not have fantasy comic book villains. We had people, we had drug dealers, blackmailers, criminals. So in a way, we turned it slightly into a crime show where there were issues about pollution and nuclear waste. I think he wanted comic book villains that Spider-Man fights."
Hammond also mused that CBS did a "very poor job of marketing the show," which may have contributed to its cancellation, and pointed out that a crossover with The Incredible Hulk was planned but "never got past the stage of two actors talking at the end of the day over a beer."
While Hammond might not be reprising his role as the original live-action webslinger in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the actor gave a thumbs up to the various actors who followed in his footsteps and said he particularly enjoyed Tom Holland's portrayal. "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.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on Dec. 17.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter