Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is set to don his Spidey Suit yet again, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton in early talks to helm Spider-Man 4, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
This would mark the fourth director to take the reins of a live-action Spider-Man film. Sam Raimi directed the original trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, Marc Webb took over the two Amazing Spider-Man films starring Andrew Garfield and Jon Watts helmed the previous three Tom Holland Spidey films.
The ending of the latest film, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), saw Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell which made the world forget that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. This had the unintended consequence of causing Peter’s closest friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) to forget him too. Although this wrapped up the trilogy, it does open up potential plotlines for Tom Holland’s return to the titular role.
Cretton is no stranger to the Marvel universe, directing not only Shang-Chi but also its sequel, which is currently in development. He was also set to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty but departed the project to focus on other Marvel titles. His other credits include Just Mercy (2019), The Glass Castle (2017) and Short Term 12 (2013).
Cretton’s Spider-Man 4 has also allegedly led to a re-shuffling of the Spidey franchises, with Sony’s animated film Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse likely being delayed to 2027 due to its proximity to Cretton’s film, as well as allegations of production troubles. Reportedly, existing work on the threequel was scrapped because of a creative overhaul (via Insneider), but Spider-Verse composer Daniel Pemberton has since spoken out on the report.
“Don’t really ever want to weigh in on this sort of stuff BUT would you ever believe there could sometimes be stuff on the internet that might not always be particularly accurate?” reads his X/Twitter post.
Beyond the Spider-Verse was originally slated for release on 29 March 2024, but now faces an indefinite delay. As for Spider-Man 4, sources close to The Hollywood Reporter state that shooting will begin early next year.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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