The road to Spider-Man 4 has been a long and winding one, and while stars Tom Holland and Zendaya are finally coming back, one franchise mainstay will be sitting out the 2026 MCU blockbuster.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to direct the at-the-time untitled Spider-Man 4 (now Spider-Man: Brand New Day) in late Summer 2024.
Cretton will take the reins from director Jon Watts - a mainstay on the "Home" trilogy after helming Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home.
Watts may not be the only franchise regular sitting out Brand New Day, as while Zendaya will reportedly reprise her role as M.J., there has been no word whether Jacob Batalon is coming back as Peter's BFF Ned Leeds. That said, Batalon has stated he is hopeful about returning for Spider-Man 4.
The collaboration will mark Cretton's third MCU project in just a few years, having directed Shang-Chi and created Wonder Man (a Hollywood satire comedy which will premiere this December on Disney+).
Why Spider-Man 4's Director Switch Is a Great Thing
While some may be worried about a new director taking over Spider-Man, especially after the overwhelmingly positive reception to No Way Home, there are at least four key reasons why the switch might work in its favor:
Spider-Man 4 Is Starting a New Era
After all memory of his existence was wiped from his friends and fellow superheroes, No Way Home set up a new path for Peter Parker. As he moves into his post-high school life, Peter will presumably meet a new cast of side characters, especially with Zendaya taking on a "severely reduce" role.
As Parker is stepping into a new era after the "Home" trilogy, it makes sense to bring a new filmmaker on board so that change is felt across Brand New Day with a distinct style, tone, and direction for that and the expected Spider-Man sequels.
Destin Daniel Cretton Proved Himself With Shang-Chi
Destin Daniel Cretton struck gold with Shang-Chi as he introduced a new superhero in one of Phase 4's best-received movies. That movie was especially praised for its martial arts-driven action, which ought to translate well to Spider-Man's acrobatic style and lead to some impressive web-slinging sequences.
Marvel Studios clearly has faith in Cretton as, when the movie was still The Kang Dynasty, the Shang-Chi filmmaker was recruited to direct Avengers 5. As the Avengers franchise is arguably the biggest of all time, Disney wouldn't be willing to hand those keys to any director without complete confidence in their talent.
That said, the filmmaker eventually exited Avengers 5 in November 2023 to focus on his other MCU projects. At the time, those were expected to be Shang-Chi 2 and Wonder Man, but things have been moving slowly on the MCU sequel, and Cretton will now focus on Brand New Day for the time being.
Spider-Man Needed a New Director Anyway
Even before Jon Watts' Spider-Man 4 absence became official, fans had generally been expecting a new director to tag in anyway since a filmmaker helming more than three movies in the same superhero franchise is almost unheard of.
The only filmmaker to reach that milestone previously was Bryan Singer with four the X-Men movies from 2000 to 2016. The Russo Brothers will join him in that club with four Avengers movies after 2027's Secret Wars while James Gunn came close with his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and Disney+ holiday special.
While Watts is stepping back from the directing chair, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers will reprise their writing duties after No Way Home. This has sounded alarm bells for some as the writing was among the more criticized elements in the "Home" trilogy, and many were hoping for a fresh perspective on these characters.
Jon Watts Wants a Break from Superheroes
Funnily enough, Watts came close to rebooting another superhero franchise for Marvel Studios as originally set to direct Fantastic Four. Studio president Kevin Feige confirmed the Spider-Man director would turn his attention to Marvel's First Family after No Way Home in December 2020 at Disney's Investor Day event.
That said, the MCU veteran departed the reboot in April 2022 as Deadline stated there was "nothing sinister here" and the filmmaker simply "needs a break" from the superhero genre. He was later replaced by WandaVision director Matt Shakman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps will now hit theaters on July 25.
Since stepping away from the superhero game, Watts has worked on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and The Old Man. He was also left frustrated by Apple TV+ after the disastrous release of his first post-MCU movie, Wolfs.
