Addressing the brief breakdown of negotiations between Sony and Disney, the 'Avengers: Endgame' actor admits to talk show host Jimmy Kimmel he was really emotional when talking to the CEO.
- December 6, 2019
AceShowbiz - Tom Holland "wept" when Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed Spider-Man's departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) because he took the call while "drunk" at a pub quiz.
The web-slinging superhero was briefly ousted from the MCU after talks between heads at Disney and Sony Pictures, who own the screen rights to the comic book character, stalled over the summer.
The news first emerged while Holland, who made his debut as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War", was attending Disney's D23 Expo in August, and he was banned from posing for photos with the rest of his Avengers co-stars.
"I was obviously devastated, and all my Marvel friends were there and they were taking Marvel pictures and I was not allowed to be in them," he recalled on U.S. talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". "It was awful."
Holland decided to reach out to Iger via email just to thank him for the chance to be a part of the MCU, but the Disney CEO responded by asking to discuss the matter on the phone - and the call came in while the 23-year-old was unwinding with his family at the pub.
"I'm three pints in, I haven't eaten much, and I get a phone call from an unknown number," he said. "And I have a feeling. I'm like, 'I think this is Bob Iger. But I'm drunk.' "
Holland picked up anyway, and soon began crying to Iger. "I wept...!" he admitted. "I did, yeah... I was really emotional because I felt like it was all coming to an end."
The waterworks led Iger to share that there may still be a possibility of keeping Spider-Man in the MCU, so Holland seized on the opportunity to reach out to Sony film chairman Tom Rothman in the hope of finding a solution to the problem - and his efforts paid off.
"It was really interesting for me to have these two studio heads like, 'What do you think?' " he shared.
Iger had previously praised the actor for essentially saving Spider-Man from leaving the MCU, but humble Holland is hesitant to take all the credit.
"I wouldn't say it was entirely my doing," he remarked, before quipping, "I saved Spider-Man... no, I didn't!"
A new deal between Disney and Sony was announced in September, a month after negotiations had originally broken down.
