“Spider-Man 4” Moves Forward with Tom Holland and Zendaya, but Suffers a Major Setback

In 2021, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” grossed an astonishing $1.922 billion. This was more than enough to restore faith in Phase 4, which many had perceived as directionless until then (though opinions would later waver again with some notable failures like “The Marvels”). It also validated the popular appeal of Spider-Man, particularly in his portrayal by Tom Holland. “No Way Home” capped off a well-received trilogy in which Holland was joined by Zendaya as MJ, with Jon Watts directing all three films.

“No Way Home” ended with a powerful cliffhanger. To avoid causing further harm to his family and friends, the protagonist asked Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make the world forget Peter Parker’s identity, condemning him to wander anonymously while continuing his heroic efforts.

“Spider-Man 4” was expected to address this cliffhanger, but nearly three years have passed since “No Way Home” without significant updates. The Marvel Universe has been somewhat tumultuous during this period. Despite this, Kevin Feige, as the creative director, has managed to announce a major update on the continuation of “No Way Home” through CinemaBlend.

The film is in development and exploring a storyline, but it will likely need a new director: Watts will not return for a fourth Spider-Man movie. “We love Jon. He made three of the best Spider-Man films in history. He’s doing a lot of things right now, so we’ll probably look for someone else because he’s very busy,” Feige explains.

Since “No Way Home,” Watts has indeed been busy. He directed “Wolfs” starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney (set to release on September 20), wrote an upcoming instalment of “Final Destination,” and has been working on another project with Disney: the “Skeleton Crew” series. This series belongs to the Star Wars universe and stars Jude Law. Regarding Marvel, it is likely that the fourth Spider-Man movie won’t arrive for several years, possibly after the current Multiverse Saga concludes. More urgently for Feige is confirming the fate of the next two Avengers films. Recently, it was revealed that there are discussions to bring back Joe and Anthony Russo to direct them following the success of “Infinity War” and “Endgame.”