“Spider-Man 4” is a go at Marvel Studios, with “Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton behind the camera and production likely starting early next year. But other aspects of the much-anticipated sequel remain a mystery. When will the blockbuster hit theaters? Will it be another multiversal story? And how will it handle the tragic conclusion to 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home“?
There likely won’t be answers to those questions for a while, but IndieWire reports that star Tom Holland gave an update on the film’s script in an interview on the latest “Rich Roll Podcast.” And from the sounds of things, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Summers have honed in on a great idea.
We have a creative and we have a pitch, and a draft which is excellent,” Holland said on the podcast. “It needs work, but the writers are doing a great job. I read it three weeks ago and it really lit a fire in me. Zendaya and I sat down and read it together, and we at times were bouncing around the living room.” That sounds promising, but Holland also confirmed the script isn’t quite finished yet. “This is a real movie worthy of the fans’ respect,” he continued, “but there’s a few things we need to figure out before we can get that really going.”
Still, that sounds like “Spider-Man 4” is on track for an early 2025 shooting date. Elsewhere in the interview, Holland also extolled the creative process over at Marvel. “I have three or four things I’m juggling with right now, the biggest of which is my sort of re-entry into the MCU and what that looks like,” said the actor. “It’s been a really fantastic experience that Tom [Rothman] and Kevin [Feige] have allowed me into the kind of creative bubble of Marvel and I’ve got to see firsthand how these films are built from the ground up. It’s been so fun to sit in the room and see these guys pitching back and forth, and every now and then I’ll chime in with something.”
But Holland also understands that “Spider-Man 4” is only part of the larger story that the MCU has in mind for Phases 5, 6, and beyond. “One of the things is that, with Marvel, your film is a small cog in a large machine,” he continued. “That machine has got to keep running. You have to make sure you can fit into that timeline at the right time to benefit the bigger picture. That’s one of the challenges we’re facing. The time in which we need to get that done is a tall order but definitely achievable with the fantastic people we have working on it now.”
Disney currently has two open slots for unannounced Marvel movies in 2026: one of Valentine’s Day Eve, February 13, and the other on November 6, 2024. Could one of those be for “Spider-Man 4”? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but one date falls before “Avengers: Doomsday” and the other after; and it’s telling that “Doomsday” replaced “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which Cretton was supposed to direct. It’s pure speculation at this point, but it wouldn’t surprise Marvel fans if Holland’s next adventure in the MCU ties in directly to the next two “Avengers” movies, particularly 2027’s “Secret Wars.” But that’s all a couple of years away, and there’s plenty of other Marvel projects between then and now that could provide clues for the MCU’s future.
In any case, Holland is thrilled for his imminent return to Marvel. “I feel like it’s the only studio working in unison with the fan group,” he said. “Like fan service is a really big thing at Marvel.” And with Spider-man as the world’s most popular superhero, expect Feige & co. to make sure that “Spider-Man 4” is an extra-special part of their future.