While not yet officially announced, Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4 is about as sure a thing as they come in the comic book movie world.
Holland's web-head endeared audiences over his first MCU Spidey trilogy, with the character leaving off where a lot of wall-crawling stories start, as Holland's Peter Parker truly starts his journey as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (Holland's last web-headed epic) blew the doors open for Spidey storytelling in the MCU, with but fans should expect even more fun in the upcoming sequel.
So, here is everything to know about the MCU's Spider-Man 4.
When Will Spider-Man 4 Release?
No official release date has been revealed for Spider-Man 4 as of yet, but it is almost surely coming.
A June 2023 report from Deadline revealed the first hints at where the wall-crawler's fourth film could fall on the Sony Pictures and Marvel slate. Sony unveiled two dates for unannounced projects falling on November 8, 2024, and June 27, 2025.
While it is expected Venom 3 will take that November 2024 date, there is a strong likelihood that Spider-Man 4 comes to theaters in June 2025.
Of course, all that could change, with the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes shaking things up in Hollywood, however.
Sony Pictures and Spidey film producer Amy Pascal commented on how the strikes will impact Spider-Man 4, saying, "Are we going to make another movie? Of course, we are," but "nobody is working" on the project during the labor dispute:
“Are we going to make another movie? Of course, we are. We’re in the process, but the writers strike, nobody is working during the strike. We’re all being supporters and whenever they get themselves together, we’ll get started.”
When asked about any specific information about the upcoming sequel, Pascal added "If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
With Tom Holland taking a bit of a break from acting (something that the actor said should not take too long), and Spider-Man 4's lack of a director, there is still plenty of work to do before the Spidey sequel can get in front of cameras, so if it were to push past that June 2025 date, it would not be all that surprising.
Development has at least started on the film, so the ball is rolling. In an interview with The New York Times, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige let slip that they are "actively beginning to develop where the story heads next:"
“Yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home.' That will not be occurring this time.”
The studio executive also has made note that the movie is in the midst of being written (via Entertainment Weekly), however, work has been paused due to the strikes in Hollywood.
Will Tom Holland Return for Spider-Man 4?
Coming off of Spider-Man: No Way Home Tom Holland going forward as the MCU's Spider-Man was not a certainty; however, he has been since to return as the iconic wall-crawler.
It has been written that not only will Tom Holland appear in Spider-Man 4, but a whole new MCU Spidey trilogy, as he continues to be a big part of the super-powered franchise.
In the fall of 2022, various leakers reported a "New Tom Holland deal [was] comin' right up," being the first indication the actor would be back.
Holland himself has since hyped up Spider-Man 4, saying the sequel is "looking pretty good" with "some stuff going on" that he's "excited about."
The Marvel actor continued, remarking he would be "the luckiest kid alive" if he played Spider-Man for the rest of his life:
“I feel like my agents and I have navigated the industry in a really good way over the last 10 years. But that said, if I just play Spider-Man for the rest of my life, I’d still be the luckiest kid alive. So there’s no complaints from me here.”
Spider-Man 4 Cast: Who Will Return?
Casting details are scarce when it comes Spider-Man 4, but there are a few names one can assume will make an appearance.
Here is the full list of actors and characters expected to return in the Spider-Man sequel:
Tom Holland - Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Of course, no Spider-Man film would be complete without the titular wall-crawler himself. Tom Holland has been confirmed to return for Spider-Man 4, as his Peter Parker deals with a life of anonymity after expunging himself from the minds of his loved ones (and the rest of the world) at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Zendaya - Michelle Jones/MJ
It remains unknown if Zendaya's Michelle Jones (aka MJ) will pop up in Spider-Man 4, but she feels like a very likely inclusion at least for a check-in. Following the events of No Way Home, Zendaya's MJ is headed off to MIT with her friend Ned Leeds after she was forced to forget her first love/super-powered boyfriend Peter Parker.
Jacob Batalon - Ned Leeds
Joining MJ in her studies at MIT is Peter Parker's former best friend Ned Leeds (played by Jacob Batalon). Seeing as the universe has forgotten the identity of New York's Spider-Man, Ned has now forgotten his closest compatriot/the person who trusted him with a Spidey-sized secret.
J.K. Simmons - J. Jonah Jameson
After his shocking return as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home, J.K. Simmons take on the beloved Daily Bugle editor was a full-fledged supporting character in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He may have forgotten Spider-Man's identity, but surely the loud-mouthed newsman will return in Spider-Man 4 as he attempts to reveal Spidey as the menace JJJ thinks he is.
What Will Happen in Spider-Man 4?
After going Multiversal in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it is looking more and more like things will be toned down for Spider-Man 4.
The movie has been teased by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige as a "street-level" story akin to those of common Spidey comic compatriot Daredevil:
"The adventures of Eros and Pip is something very exciting for us. You talk about Ghost Rider, we’ve got Blade, we’ve got Doctor Strange, we’ve got the supernatural angles, we’ve got the street-level with our announcement of Daredevil, and of course, Spidey going into the street-level heroes. And cosmic, and that’s where our friends Eros and Pip live."
This hints at a smaller-scale adventure for Holland's web-slinger, one that focuses on "quality and emotion," rather than the spectacle of the Multiverse, according to Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal:
"You can’t think about topping yourself in terms of spectacle. Otherwise movies just get larger and larger for no reason, and it’s not a good result. But we do want to always try and top ourselves in terms of quality and emotion."
This will likely see Tom Holland's college-age hero take on the classic Spider-Man scenario, living on his own, struggling to balance his life as both Peter Parker and New York's web-headed savior.
The movie could also see Spidey team up with another "street-level" hero in Charlie Cox's Daredevil, who made his triumphant MCU return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and has a Disney+ series of his own on the way from Marvel Studios.
Will Tobey Maguire Return for Spider-Man 4?
The words "Tobey Maguire" and "Spider-Man 4" have been closely linked for quite some time; however, it is not because the classic Spidey actor will appear in the MCU sequel.
After returning to his Marvel superhero role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have begun to wonder when and where the actor will pop up as the character again. For now, it feels like Marvel Studios' Spider-Man 4 is not that place.
Maguire was previously attached to a Spider-Man 4 of his own, following the completion of his own Spider-Man trilogy back in 2007. The movie was originally set to release in 2011, however, due to creative differences between director Sam Raimi and Sony Pictures, the movie was ultimately cancelled in 2010 in favor of a rebooted Spider-Man franchise starring Andrew Garfield.
Since the actor's return in No Way Home though, discourse around a fourth Spidey film starring Maguire has reached a fever pitch.
Spider-Man 3 and No Way Home actor Thomas Haden Church hinted at his wanting to be a part of a potential Spider-Man 4 with Maguire, but nothing about another Maguire Spider-Man project has been confirmed:
“There’s always been some kind of…I’ve heard rumors…that Sam Raimi was going to do another ['Spider-Man' movie] with Tobey [Maguire] and if that happens, I would probably campaign to maybe at least do a cameo.”
Will Sam Raimi Direct Spider-Man 4?
As previously mentioned, Spider-Man 4 currently does not have a director attached, so Sam Raimi has as good a chance as any if he were wanting to take a stab at the MCU's version of Marvel's wall-crawler.
Raimi was previously going to make a Spider-Man 4 of his own with Tobey Maguire, but the project was ultimately cancelled as the director found it more and more creatively restricting to make films in Sony's first super-powered universe.
The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director said, now that some time has passed, "anything is possible" and he "[he'd] love to work with Tobey again," if the opportunity were to present itself:
"I've come to realize after making Doctor Strange that anything is possible, really anything in the Marvel universe, any team-ups. I love Tobey. I love Kirsten Dunst. I think all things are possible. I don't really have a story or a plan. I don't know if Marvel would be interested in that right now. I don't know what their thoughts are about that. I haven't really pursued that. But it sounds beautiful. Even if it wasn't a 'Spider-Man' movie, I'd love to work with Tobey again, in a different role."
As for working on Tom Holland's version of the character, he previously told Los Angeles Times after seeing No Way Home, "If I made a Spider-Man movie, it would probably have to be with Tobey or he’d break my neck:”
“I loved 'No Way Home.' I thought it was a complete audience thrill ride. The crowd I was with were ooh-ing and ahh-ing, and it had a great heart to it. It was great seeing my old friends again. I love Spider-Man. And I love Tom Holland in the role. [But] if I made a 'Spider-Man' movie, it would probably have to be with Tobey or he’d break my neck.”
As of May 2022 (via Screen Rant), Raimi "[didn't] have any plans to make Spider-Man 4" and had not "pursued that:"
"I currently don't have any plans to make 'Spider-Man 4.' And they're so successful with the new 'Spider-Man' series that I don't know if that's gonna happen or not. I haven't pursued that."
Spider-Man 4 currently has no official release date listed.
