Tom Holland may have started late as an actor when he made his film debut in 2012 with The Impossible, but he didn’t take long to launch to extraordinary heights of love and fame in fans’ hearts. While his tenure in the MCU as the fan-favorite Spider-Man was one to boost his career, the actor hasn’t hesitated to let his brilliance be known in other projects as well.
But after a decade since he professionally jumped into this profession, it seems like Holland’s movie star status might as well be on the line. This is because his movies outside the web-slinger’s universe don’t quite seem to perform all that well, especially in critics’ eyes. If anything, fans even deem his upcoming reported project to be his “last chain” to retain that status.
Tom Holland’s Next Big Project Could Save or Lose His Movie Star Status
After his last project from 2022, Holland is reportedly once again all set to return to the screens with his next big project. According to exclusive reports from industry scooper Jeff Sneider via The InSneider, the 28-year-old actor’s upcoming movie is titled American Speed and would apparently star him as a drug smuggler.
That’s not all. Starring alongside him is the up-and-coming Hollywood hotshot Austin Butler, who would reportedly be playing his brother in the movie. While this pair-up does seem surprising because of one too many reasons, fans are still hoping this project turns out to be good. The real reason why: Holland seems to be on the verge of losing his movie star status.
Of course, Tom Holland‘s films as Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have done wonders enough to cement his position in the superhero-verse. But it seems like that’s the only place his position is being valued because the heartthrob’s projects outside of the web-slinger’s verse don’t really seem to be performing all that well; especially in the eyes of critics.
To emphasize this point, here’s a brief overview of the actor’s movies outside of his Spider-Man trilogy. Besides his blockbuster success No Way Home, which was released in 2021, Holland’s other live-action movies from the past few years include Uncharted (2022), Cherry (2021), Chaos Walking (2021), and The Devil All the Time (2020).
But while all of these films saw him in a leading role, pretty much none of them were able to leave that indelible mark on viewers’ hearts. Even the critical reviews of each of these movies have been considerably disapproving, considering how his 2022 film has 40%, 2021 films have 37% and 21%, and the 2020 film has a 65% rating each, respectively, on the Tomatometer.
That said, it becomes inevitable to acknowledge that Holland’s career outside of the MCU hasn’t really been taking off that perfectly for quite some time now. This is why fans are hoping his upcoming reported project doesn’t add another low-rated piece to his portfolio, even deeming it his “last chance” at retaining his movie star status.
Fans Are Calling American Speed Tom Holland’s “Last Chance”
While Tom Holland’s performance has been critically acclaimed throughout, what actually seems to be affecting his movie star status is the type of roles and projects he is attracting and undertaking. This has launched his worried fans into speculation mode, trying to determine the parts and genres that could help him get back on track even outside the Parker-verse.
Some of his fans are pointing out how this one of Hollywood’s sweethearts has been “kind of lumped into playing soft boy characters” and really needs a “Pain and Gain script” that could allow viewers to see him in a different light before Spider-Man 4. Others, in the meanwhile, can’t help but admit how “he keeps getting into roles that don’t fit”, with Peter Parker being an exception.
All in all, here’s what fans have to say on X:
Of course, if looking at fans’ ratings for the same, then his projects haven’t been all that bad, with his series The Crowded Room being the perfect example of how fans love his work but critics, somehow, just don’t.
Even then, the fact that Holland really needs to pick his projects more creatively outside of the Marvel-verse stands as true as ever if he truly wants to be known for more than just his work as the “a bit of a loser” Parker from the web-slinger’s film series.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy can be streamed on Disney+ and Prime Video.
