Tom Holland Calls 'Spider-Man 3' "The Most Ambitious Standalone Superhero Movie Ever Made," While Salma Hayek Praises "Empowering" 'Eternals'

Tom Holland and Salma Hayek both have upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films – Holland will appear in the third entry in the MCU's Spider-Man series, while Hayek is a part of the ensemble for Chloé Zhao's Eternals. Both films remain under heavy lock and key to avoid spoilers, as is the Marvel way. But in new interviews, both Holland and Hayek have dropped some clues about their respective films, with Holland calling Spider-Man 3  the "most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made," and Hayek talking about how she found her role in Eternals "empowering."

First thing's first: I'm really going to need Marvel and Sony to announce the official title for their third Spider-Man movie soon, because I'm sick of calling it Spider-Man 3. Yes, it's technically the third entry in the current Spider-Man series, but we all know there's already a Spider-Man 3, and it's a film that involves emo Peter Parker dancing his ass off. There can be only one.

Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at Tom Holland's latest interview with Variety! Holland has had a lot of fun over the years "accidentally" leaking info about his MCU projects, but he doesn't give much away about the new Spider-Man movie. However, he does hype the flick up, going so far as to say "it's the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made." He continues:

"You sit down, read the script, and see what they're trying to do, and they're succeeding. It's really impressive. I've never seen a standalone superhero movie quite like it. And I'm just, you know, again, that lucky little shit who happens to be Spider-Man in it. We got a lot more shooting to do. We started before Christmas and shot for like seven weeks. We stopped for the Christmas break, and then we're starting again. I'm just as excited as everyone else to see it, let alone be a part of it."

We still don't have an official synopsis for what the new Spider-Man movie is about, but we do know that it's bound to feature the Multiverse – a scenario that will allow the movie to imply the previous filmed versions of Spider-Man were set in alternate dimensions. Jamie Foxx is back as Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Alfred Molina is reprising his Spider-Man 2 role as Doc Ock. And while there's no confirmation yet, there are rumors that previous Spideys Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire will also be popping up in the movie. And Holland's comments about the movie being ambitious certainly lend credence to all the rumors. Now if Marvel would just go ahead and announce the damn title...

Spider-Man 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17, 2021.

In a separate Variety interview, Salma Hayek was asked about Eternals, the upcoming Marvel movie from Chloe Zhao. Hayek plays a character named Ajax in the movie, and the actress opened up about the film and the part. The actress said she wasn't allowed to see the script before committing to the part, and while she said that scared her, she was also all-in on the project because she wanted to work with Zhao.

"I love the director," Hayek said. "She's brilliant. And then I like that [Ajax] is kind of the leader. She's the only one that can talk to the Celestials. And I said, 'I'll get to be bossy on this one, too. I can play that.' Giving instructions, telling people what to do, I can do that. Then I was afraid of the outfit. I'm claustrophobic. I was very afraid that I was going to feel like I couldn't move. It has a completely different DNA from the [other Marvel movies]. It's shot different than all the other ones. It's in real locations and they found some crazy extraterrestrial-looking locations. I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about what they do with the camera, but...it's not mostly done in post. The cinematography is incredible."

Hayek also called the experience "empowering," adding:

"It really moved me. ...They told me [early in Hayek's career], "It's never going to happen for you here." I am representing. It's not because I'm putting on an outfit but we get the right to be superheroes today. I'm also 54. So there was something really moving, not just for me, but for everything, all the different stereotypes. She's not sexy. You know what I'm saying? She's not sexy at all. I'm very short. I've been bullied for being short my entire life. And suddenly, it doesn't matter. You're a superhero in the Marvel universe. It moved me."

Eternals, which follows "an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7000 years," is set to open November 5, 2021.