Zendaya fans flocking to the cinema to watch her new film Challengers may be surprised to see a sneaky reference to Spider-Man, one they will naturally assume is a reference to her own connections with the superhero franchise.
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Not only does Zendaya star in the recent MCU trilogy of Spider-Man films as MJ, she is also in a real-life relationship with Tom Holland who plays the web-slinger himself.
The reference to Spider-Man appears during the film’s modern-day scenes, when the daughter of Zendaya's Tashi and Mike Faist's Art, Lily, asks Tashi if she can watch a Spider-Verse movie with her, referring to the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse.
However, director Luca Guadagnino has now revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that this wasn't a nod to Zendaya's ties to the franchise, but instead came down to the issue of movie rights.
Zendaya in Challengers. YouTube/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Guadagnino explained: "When you get rights for something to be used in a movie, it's very complicated. Amy Pascal, our amazing producer, was of help there. I said, 'Amy, can we use one of your catalogue titles so it's going to be easier to clear them?'
"[Lily]'s a girl; she's not going to choose to watch The Social Network or The Post, but maybe she's going to watch a Spider-Man cartoon, so I said, 'Why not Spider-Verse?' Now I realise that it sounded like an in-joke, which, you know, the unconscious guides us all the time."
Holland has recently revealed that he and the team behind the MCU Spider-Man movies are currently working on a fourth instalment in the franchise, but that they are taking time to make sure they aren't "overdoing the same things".
He said: "We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing."
"This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative [side] so early. It’s just a process where I’m watching and learning. It’s just a really fun stage for me. Like I said, everyone wants it to happen. But we want to make sure we’re not overdoing the same things."
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
