Andrew Garfield says The Amazing Spider-Man films focused more on making money over the story

Andrew Garfield is opening up about his time as Spider-Man and while getting the role was a dream come true for the actor, Garfield reveals he was left heartbroken when it became clear there was more of a focus being out on making money rather than crafting a good story.

Garfield landed the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in July 2010, a few months before the release of The Social Network made him a household name. The actor was a true fan of the character and by the time The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012, the film was well-received enough to become a box office hit which made Sony Pictures hopeful they could launch an entire Spider-Man universe with three Amazing Spider-Man sequels, a Sinister Six film, and a Venom movie. Those plans hit a snag when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released in 2014 because, while the film was a box office hit on a worldwide scale, the sequel underperformed compared to the past Spider-Man films and it also received a bit of a beating from critics and fans. It was clear that Sony got ahead of themselves trying to expand the universe and began to rush things a bit which made the story suffer in the second film. After the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony Pictures teamed up with Marvel Studios to reboot Spider-Man yet again and Garfield was ultimately let go from the role with Tom Holland eventually landing the part in the MCU.

While speaking with “The Guardian“, Andrew Garfield got very candid about his time with the franchise and he discussed how the financial needs of the business became the main force behind making the movie and it’s something that left him pretty heartbroken, especially since he was coming at the project as a fan himself. Here is what he had to say:

“I went from being a naive boy to growing up. How could I ever imagine that it was going to be a pure experience? There are millions of dollars at stake and that’s what guides the ship. It was a big awakening and it hurt. Comic-Con in San Diego is full of grown men and women still in touch with that pure thing the character meant to them. [But] you add in market forces and test groups and suddenly the focus is less on the soul of it and more on ensuring we make as much money as possible. And I found that – find that – heartbreaking in all matters of the culture. Money is the thing that has corrupted all of us and led to the terrible ecological collapse that we are all about to die under.”

Garfield has been pretty blunt about his time making The Amazing Spider-Man films and even once revealed that he would argue with the head of Sony Pictures Amy Pascal over creative decisions that were motivating the direction of the franchise. In his own words, Garfield said he “couldn’t rescue” the films despite all of the love he had for the character. It has to be a bit disheartening to grow up wanting to bring a character like this to life only to find out that a lot of what drives this machine is sometimes money over the story.

Perhaps Garfield will get some Spider-Man redemption if the rumors are true that he appears in Spider-Man: No Way Home via its multiverse storyline that could bring him and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man into the world inhabited by Tom Holland’s version of the character. Until these rumors are confirmed or officially denied, Garfield should still be proud of his time as Spider-Man because I think he was very solid in the role despite the issues with the two films he appeared in.

What are YOUR thoughts on Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man comments?