Sam Raimi has said Tobey Maguire would probably “break” his neck if he directed a Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland.

Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy (2002 – 2007) starring Maguire as the titular webslinger. He recently made a return to Marvel adaptations with the MCU entry Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Having reaquainted himself with Marvel, Raimi expressed an interest in returning to the Spider-Man franchise, whose current iteration is led by Holland.

The director, however, said that it was unlikely he would make another Spider-Man film without Maguire as his lead.

“I love Spider-Man. And I love Tom Holland in the role,” Raimi told the Los Angeles Times, before adding a caveat. “If I made a Spider-Man movie, it would probably have to be with Tobey, or he’d break my neck.”

Given that Maguire’s superhero returned to the MCU in last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (alongside Holland and Andrew Garfield), the door may be open for Raimi to rejoin his team for a fourth film.

“I love Tobey [Maguire]. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible,” he previously Fandango.

“I don’t really have a story or a plan. I don’t know if Marvel would be interested in that right now. I don’t know what their thoughts are about that. I haven’t really pursued that. But it sounds beautiful.”