Andrew Garfield and Alfred Molina reprising roles for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 3

Sony and Marvel are leaving no stone unturned in attracting audiences to Spider-Man 3, which is currently filming in Atlanta with Tom Holland in the lead role. Taking a leaf out of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's book, the third solo Spidey film will fully embrace the multiverse elements introduced in Avengers: Endgame, and welcome back characters from previous films in the franchise.

On Tuesday, it was reported that actor Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson) and Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker) are all set to return. The Hollywood Reporter said that Alfred was spotted on set a few weeks ago, and his presence will connect the first iteration of the Spider-Man series, which starred Tobey Maguire in the lead role, with the ongoing third.

Meanwhile, Collider reports that both Andrew, who abruptly departed the series after disagreements with Sony, and Kirsten, who played MJ in the Tobey-led series, will return. Collider also adds that Tobey's return depends on whether or not he is able to arrive at an agreement with Marvel and Sony, while Emma Stone could be featured as well, but that depends on her pregnancy. Stone played the love interest Gwen Stacy in the Garfield series.

Previously, JK Simmons had already been introduced as a new version of J Jonah Jameson, in Spider-Man: Far From Home -- although these new casting announcements hint at the actors reprising their original roles, and not new versions. Jamie Foxx, meanwhile, will also return as Electro.

Director Sam Raimi, who helmed all three Maguire Spider-Man movies, has be recruited to helm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Spider-Man 3 is being directed by Jon Watts.

Parallel to Marvel's multiverse, DC is putting together one of its own. The upcoming The Flash movie will feature both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck's versions of Batman, and presumably other characters as well.