Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts and Zendaya are both expected to return for the prospective MCU Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland. After first being introduced in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, Holland's Spider-Man got his own trilogy of solo films, spanning from Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 to Spider-Man: No Way Home this past December. Spider-Man: No Way Home not only acted as a semi-conclusion to Holland's take on the character, but also to Zendaya's MJ and Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds. Although the ending to Spider-Man: No Way Home leaves the door open for future installments, seeing Peter Parker embrace his new anonymity and embark on a more solitary superhero career, the future of the franchise has largely remained unclear. Holland has gone back and forth regarding whether he will return as Spider-Man, saying that he would be interested in continuing the character's journey in a new and fresh way, but also that he would like to take a break and make room for new actors to take up the mantle of Spider-Man.
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A new report from Deadline hints, however, that producers at Sony overseeing the MCU Spider-Man franchise do expect to re-team with Watts, Zendaya, and Holland in the future for Spider-Man 4. The report notes that, unlike Fantastic Four, which Watts was tapped to direct until he recently stepped down, the director has not officially stepped away from the Spider-Man franchise. While most of the key players are expected to return for Spider-Man 4, the report also states that the film isn’t going to happen anytime soon and it's something that will probably come "down the road." Although Sony expects to reunite with Holland, Watts, and Zendaya for Spider-Man 4, the wording used in the report indicates that the film is still not yet a sure thing. Interestingly, it's also not clear if Batalon would return for Spider-Man 4 as Ned. That said, if Watts, Holland, and Zendaya are coming back, it's hard to imagine that Batalon wouldn't also be included. Any plot ideas for the prospective Spider-Man 4 remain unknown, but one of the key problems that Peter would obviously have to solve would be getting his friends to once more remember him after Doctor Strange's spell in No Way Home's final act.
It doesn’t sound like Spider-Man 4 is on the horizon just yet, but the new report certainly bodes well. Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy has been wildly successful, both in terms of critical reception and in terms of box office and it makes sense that Sony, whose recent film, Morbius, failed to meet expectations, would want to continue that fruitful relationship as long as possible. While the future is looking promising for fans wanting Spider-Man 4 with Holland, Watts, and Zendaya, it seems that any official announcement or information regarding the film is still a ways away.
