What Could Have Happened In The Amazing Spider-Man 3

In the pantheon of Spidey flicks, there's perhaps none more mysterious than the scrapped Amazing Spider-Man 3. Intended to see the return of the second Spider-Man actor, Andrew Garfield, and spin off into a few extra films, the third Amazing installment was canceled seemingly out of nowhere. Though fans now know a few reasons why The Amazing Spider-Man 3 never happened, they're still left wondering what could have been. Now, Amazing Spider-Man series director Marc Webb has opened up about his plans for the film that never was. 

Speaking with Den of Geek, Webb revealed that he was hoping to expand the Spidey universe with a Sinister Six spin-off that would lead into The Amazing Spider-Man 3. 

"We were talking about the Sinister Six. They [Sony] were going to make a Sinister Six movie before we did the third one," explained Webb. "Chris Cooper was going to come back and play the Goblin."

Cooper played Norman Osborn, the head of Oscorp Industries and the father of Peter Parker's best friend Harry, who becomes the Green Goblin in the Marvel comic lore. Norman was believed to have passed away in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, opening the door for Harry (played by Dane DeHaan in the sequel) to assume the role as the green-faced, sharp-fanged villain. However, as Webb stated, Cooper was supposed to make a return, and he had a clever idea on how to bring him back. "We were going to freeze his head, and then he was going to be brought back to life," he said. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also included references and easter eggs for antagonists such as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus and Adrian Toomes/Vulture as a way to tease that the Sinister Six would be on the silver screen next. In the Spider-Man comics, Doctor Octopus organizes the Sinister Six, which originally consisted of Vulture, Sandman, Electro, the original Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. But in Webb's mind, Cooper's Green Goblin would lead the pack. 

"[He] was going to be the main villain. He was going to come out and lead the Sinister Six," Webb said before teasing that he toyed with the idea of Vulture taking the reins as well.

Overall, Webb stated that he believes the team may have put the cart before the horse when thinking of the upcoming movies. "I think maybe we were thinking too far ahead when we started building in those things. But it was a fun exercise. I look back very fondly on those days," he said, later admitting that he "didn't know how to build a movie like that" when he was starting off, something he wants to be more careful about now. 

As for the newest Spidey film, the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man: Homecoming, Webb gushed that he's "desperate" to see it. "I saw Wonder Woman, which I loved, and I really want to see it. I think Tom Holland's great," the filmmaker said. 

While we ponder on what might have been, take a look at the actors who were nearly cast as Spider-Man.