Spider-Man 4 does not have a release date and we're still waiting for any new updates on the return of Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
After Spider-Man: No Way Home became one of the biggest movies of all time, it always seemed very likely that it wasn't the end. Sony want to make more Spidey movies with Holland and he wants to return.
Nobody is rushing into it for the sake of it though. In April 2024, Holland confirmed that they were developing the story to get it right.
"We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we've cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing," he explained.
If you're expecting the upcoming Comic-Con event to shed some light, we have some bad news. Given that Spidey is still a Sony property, it's very unlikely that we'll get any updates in the Marvel Studios panel on Saturday night (July 27).
But while we wait for any official news, here's everything you need to know about Spider-Man 4.
Spider-Man 4 potential release date: When will Spider-Man 4 be out in cinemas?
Spider-Man 4 might be in development, but it doesn't yet have a release date confirmed as of July 2024.
There had previously been two years between each Spider-Man movie in the MCU, but obviously we didn't get Spider-Man 4 in December 2023, so we've settled in for a longer wait.
Sony does have a release date for an untitled Sony's Spider-Man Universe movie on June 27, 2025 so that's a possible date for the return of Tom Holland's webslinger.
He's currently busy on the West End stage with Romeo & Juliet, which is running until August 3, 2024. It doesn't rule out filming starting this year, but we wouldn't blame him if he needed a bit of a breather.
And even if it does start later this year, it's probably too quick of a turnaround for June 2025, so that might be when Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is delayed to instead.
All we can do is watch this space, and we'll update when there's any developments.
Spider-Man 4 cast: Will Tom Holland return as Spider-Man?
Initially, Tom Holland was a bit cagey about his future as Peter Parker, understandably.
After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he said: "Maybe it is time for me to move on. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life," and added: "If I'm playing Spider-Man after I'm 30, I've done something wrong."
However, he then clarified those quotes, saying: "I don't know what the future of Spider-Man looks like. I don't know whether I'm going to be a part of it. Spider-Man will always live on in me, and I know that [producer] Amy [Pascal] and the studio are keen to figure out what the next chapter of Spider-Man looks like.
"If that happens to be with me, then that's very exciting but, you know, if it's time for me to walk away then I'll do so proudly."
He added in December 2023 that a fourth movie won't be made for the "sake of making another one".
"It will have to be worth the while of the character," Holland outlined. "But that said, if we can figure that out, I would be a fool not to put the suit back on again because I owe everything to Spider-Man."
There's always the possibility that Holland could move into more of a mentor role for a new Spider-Man (Miles Morales, perhaps), but there are no teasers for that in No Way Home so we can only speculate for now.
We'd imagine that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon would return as MJ and Ned, respectively, but by the end of No Way Home, neither remembers Peter is Spider-Man.
That could mean MJ and Ned won't be in a potential fourth movie, although we're just speculating for now. Talking in April 2024, Batalon had no idea whether he'd be returning or not.
"I don't know what any future holds for any of them in that world. I just feel like if things happen, they happen. I hope so. I definitely hope so. It's sad that he has no friends anymore," he told ComicBook.com.
Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) doesn't know Peter now either, but he does know Spider-Man, so he could be back again.
One person who definitely won't be in it is Marisa Tomei, as Aunt May is tragically killed by the Green Goblin. The multiverse does offer the possibility of an alternate Aunt May (like the alternate Spider-Men), but we feel this won't be done.
It's also unlikely that Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire would return, again, to their roles, given that their brief but meaningful appearance in No Way Home is rectified as the plot reseals the multiverse up.
However, they do now have official MCU names as "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" (Maguire) and "The Amazing Spider-Man" (Garfield), so who's to say they couldn't swing by the MCU again?
Garfield would certainly be up for another team-up movie as long as the story called for it: "It would have to be something very unique, very special and serving to an audience and in service of the character."
Kirsten Dunst wasn't asked to come back as Mary-Jane Watson for No Way Home, but has always been open that she "would have" reprised the role. Could we see that in a new movie? Let's hope so.
Could we see Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in the fourth movie? He does appear in the No Way Home credits scene but is taken back to his own universe. (More on him later.)
Spider-Man 4 plot: Does No Way Home set up Spider-Man 4?
Short answer: not really. The climax effectively wraps up the trilogy and sets a blank slate for the future. The possibilities for that new movie are endless.
A potential fourth movie can do whatever it likes, whether that's having Peter train up a new Spider-Man, a standalone adventure where he faces a new villain, or something else entirely.
"At the end of the movie we just made, you see Spider-Man make a momentous decision, one that you've never seen him make before. It's a sacrifice. And that gives us a lot to work with for the next film," Pascal teased to The New York Times.
One potential option is to deliver a long-awaited battle between Spider-Man and Venom on the big screen. As we saw in the Venom 2 credits scene, Eddie Brock and Venom are transported to the MCU.
It's because of the botched spell that Doctor Strange casts, but he rectifies it at the end which means Eddie and Venom are taken back to their universe. A piece of the Venom symbiote is left behind though, so it could take over somebody in the MCU.
The first trailer for Venom 3 (also known as Venom: The Last Dance) features a nod to the ending of No Way Home, but it doesn't reveal if there will be further connections between the Venom saga and the MCU.
We'd be surprised if the MCU set up its own Venom, though, as Tom Hardy is so popular with fans. So we imagine if the face-off is going to happen, they'll manufacture a way for either Spidey to cross into Venom's universe or vice-versa. It's unlikely either way.
No Way Home also makes a fun nod to Ned's villainous turn as Hobgoblin in the comics.
We think it's unlikely we'll see it play out on screen, but stranger things have happened in the MCU.
Spider-Man 4 trailer: Any Spider-Man 4 footage yet?
Of course not! Filming hasn't even started on Spider-Man 4, so you'll have to make do with No Way Home rewatches for now.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to buy or rent on Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft Store and other digital retailers.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
