Sam Raimi, the acclaimed director behind Sony's original "Spider-Man" film franchise from 2002 to 2007, recently addressed the likelihood of his versions of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, portrayed by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, making a return to the big screen. In an interview with ScreenRant, Raimi stated that his characters "have gone elsewhere," suggesting minimal prospects for their reprisal. He reflected on his tenure with the iconic character, acknowledging the vast contributions to Stan Lee's creation: "Stan Lee’s great character — that a bullpen of writers in New York at Marvel had come up with stories for — he created the character, but so many people contributed, so many artists, that for a brief time I was handed the torch to carry on after 40 years of ‘Spider-Man’ comics. And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else."

The "Evil Dead" director elaborated on the evolution of the superhero genre, noting that a new generation of fans is deeply engaged with the current "Spider-Man" era, prominently featuring Tom Holland in the lead role. Raimi expressed his view that it would not "be right for me to go back and try and resurrect my version of this story" after consciously ceding control to a new group of filmmakers, who are now tasked with advancing the narrative for the contemporary audience following the new torchbearer.

Raimi's first "Spider-Man" film debuted in 2002, followed by two successful sequels in 2004 and 2007, completing his trilogy. Following his departure, Marc Webb helmed the franchise, introducing Andrew Garfield as the web-slinger in "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012) and its sequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014). The character then transitioned to Marvel Studios, with Tom Holland assuming the role and making his debut in "Captain America: Civil War" in 2016. Holland subsequently starred in his own standalone films: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017), "Spider-Man: Far from Home" (2019), and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021).

Looking to the future, a new "Spider-Man" film titled "Brand New Day" has recently concluded production and is slated for release in theaters on July 31. This latest installment is under the direction of Destin Daniel Cretton, known for his work on "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." The extensive supporting cast for "Brand New Day" includes notable names such as Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Jacob Batalon, signaling a continued expansion of the Spider-Man cinematic universe.