If you become Spider-Man for an entire generation of movie-goers, your cinematic legacy is always guaranteed. No matter what you do, you will always be Spider-Man for the kids that grew up watching your movies, and with Tom Holland, that’s a darn good thing, as the British actor’s attempts to explore other characters and styles haven’t exactly panned out thus far. The young star is undeniably talented, but for whatever reason, he’s yet to emphatically establish himself outside of his three Spidey movies and multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances.
There was the uninspired action adventure outing “Uncharted,” which, as video game adaptations go, wasn’t the best (though it was hardly the bomb of the decade that was “Borderlands”). His starring role in Doug Liman’s “Chaos Walking” also failed to cause much of a stir, and his attempts to save the bloated mess that was the Russo brothers’ “Cherry” couldn’t redeem that ill-fated crime drama. Apple TV+’s “The Crowded Room” was … okay, and while Holland’s 2020 Netflix movie “The Devil All The Time” provided a glimpse of the actor’s raw talent — something he’ll no doubt be hoping to showcase in all its glory with his role in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming “The Odyssey” adaptation — it didn’t feel like the big non-Marvel breakthrough we’ve all been waiting for from him.
Would things have been different for the young actor had he shown up in a “Jurassic World” movie? Back in 2017, when Holland’s star was on the rise following his first official Spidey flick, “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” his career could have taken a different turn when he came close to starring in a “Jurassic World” movie that would have added an early $1 billion+ hit to his résumé.
Tom Holland wants to work with the director that gave him his breakthrough
Tom Holland made his film debut with 2012’s “The Impossible,” which was directed by Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The director’s disaster drama was based on María Belón and her family, who were caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and featured Holland as Lucas, the twelve-year-old son of Naomi Watts’ Maria Bennett and Ewan McGregor’s Henry Bennett. The young actor earned critical praise for his performance, with A.O. Scott of The New York Times labelling him “a terrific young actor.” Unsurprisingly, Holland’s career went from strength to strength after this, and by 2015, he’d signed a deal to become Marvel’s new Spider-Man. But he harbored a desire to work with his “The Impossible” director again.
In November 2016, Holland spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and was asked about who he was “dying to work with.” The actor listed Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Alejandro Inarritu as dream collaborators, but he went on to say he’d like to work with one of his former directors. “I want to work with Bayona again,” he said. “I keep emailing my agent about it. Even the smallest role, I’ll do it.”
At the time, 2015’s “Jurassic World” had proven a major success, earning $1.6 billion on a $215 million budget — making it the most successful legacy sequel ever made. Another sequel was all but guaranteed, and by the time Holland was giving his THR interview in 2016, Bayona had already been hired as the director for the “Jurassic World” follow-up. It seems Holland was considering appearing in what would eventually be titled “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” but his schedule didn’t allow him to appear. The actor was asked by THR if he’d reunite with Bayona for “Fallen Kingdom,” and he replied, “I don’t know if I’m available for that. We had a chat one time. There is a role there, but I don’t think I’ll be available to do it, unfortunately.”
It’s a blessing that Holland and Bayona didn’t collaborate on Fallen Kingdom
Though Tom Holland didn’t confirm which role he was up for in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” it was almost certainly the part that ultimately went to Justice Smith. The young “Detective Pikachu” star played Franklin Webb, an ex-IT technician for Jurassic World. Instead, Holland was busy with Marvel Cinematic Universe commitments. After “Spider-Man: Homecoming” became a hit, the actor reprised the role of Peter Parker/Spidey in “Avengers: Infinity War,” which debuted the same year as “Fallen Kingdom,” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” While “Fallen Kingdom” landed the fourth biggest box office opening of the year and went on to make $1.3 billion at the global box office, Holland certainly didn’t miss out on mega-hits when “Infinity War” made more than $2 billion worldwide.
What’s more, while “Fallen Kingdom” was a financial success, the reviews weren’t exactly glowing. At the time, /Film’s Josh Spiegel dubbed “Fallen Kingdom” a desperate struggle to capture the “Jurassic” magic while the film managed a paltry 47% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. As such, it’s sort of a blessing that this blockbuster sequel wasn’t the grand Holland/J.A. Bayona re-teaming that the actor had been waiting for. The duo have yet to collaborate again, but the star is now coming off a Hollywood hiatus, with multiple upcoming Tom Holland movies on the docket. With that in mind, we might soon see he and Bayona collaborate on another project, especially if any of these upcoming films prove to be the big non-Marvel breakthrough that Holland has been hoping for.
