People.com Entertainment Movies 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Writers Say 'Those' Surprise Stars 'Had Thoughts' About Their Storylines "It definitely shaped what we did," said screenwriter Erik Sommers By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Associate Editor, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 31, 2021 03:14 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Photo: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Warning: This post contains spoilers for Marvel's latest Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Working on Spider-Man: No Way Home was a collaborative process for actors who've played the famous web slinger, new and old. In a recently published interview with The Hollywood Reporter, No Way Home screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers opened up about the contributions Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield made when they signed on to reprise their roles as their respective versions of Spider-Man/Peter Parker for the recently released Marvel film's final act. "They had thoughts, and it was really interesting and helpful to see their thoughts," Sommers told the outlet. "No one knows the character as well as — or gives as much thought to the character — as someone who has to then embody it and sell it. … It definitely shaped what we did." "They had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom [Holland]'s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming," added McKenna. "There's a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie. So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew's ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Spider-Man: No Way Home Becomes First Movie to Make $1 Billion at the Box Office in COVID Pandemic Era The third installment in Marvel's Spider-Man franchise follows Holland's Parker navigating the world after his superhero identity is revealed. Parker attempts to change the course of history with help from Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), but the two hit a major snag when they accidentally open up the multiverse, allowing villains — alongside Maguire and Garfield's versions of Spider-Man — to come through from alternate realities. Marvel/Sony Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock; Moviestore/Shutterstock; Chuck Zlotnick/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. According to THR, Maguire, 46, and Garfield, 38, both secretly signed on to the project in December 2020. The outlet reported that Maguire, who played Spider-Man in three films from 2002 through 2007, didn't want a lot to be revealed about his character following his final film, while Garfield — who starred in two Amazing Spider-Man films from 2012 to 2014 — wanted to take a deep dive into the dark emotions his version of Parker explored following the death of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. RELATED VIDEO: Zendaya on Tom Holland: "The Superhero Is Also a Good Person" Earlier this month, No Way Home became the first film to make $1 billion at the box office worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to CNN Business. It took 12 days to do so. The film is also the third-fastest movie to reach the billion-dollar milestone: Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War previously did so in five days and 11 days, respectively. The last movie to garner $1 billion at the box office was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which hit theaters in December 2019. Many countries began shutting down due to COVID-19 in the months immediately following the film's release. Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters.