Destin Daniel Cretton is the New Director for Spider-Man 4!

So far, the Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland has generally been in capable hands: Director Jon Watts was able to prove several times that he was the right man for the friendly neighborhood spider. But a few months ago came the shock: Watts is not available for the upcoming movie. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios has confirmed the successor: Destin Daniel Cretton is the new director for "Spider-Man 4"!

Cretton is Working on Several Movies

Cretton last made a name for himself in the MCU with "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". It combined cool action with a profound story - great conditions for the fourth Spider-Man film. However, the director certainly has other projects in the pipeline: In early 2024, for example, it was announced that Cretton is working on a live-action adaptation of the popular anime classic "Naruto". There is also a sequel to "Shang-Chi" in the making, which is to be directed by him as well. There is thus speculation that Cretton may have to cut back on his current projects in order to be able to focus on "Spider-Man 4".

Expectations for Spider-Man 4 are High

MCU mastermind Kevin Feige has already stressed that Spider-Man will continue to play a pivotal role in the Marvel universe. This is particularly true after the events of "No Way Home", which ended with a cliffhanger, leaving many unanswered questions. The plot of "Spider-Man 4" is not yet known. However, as with the previous movies, the screenplay comes from Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Their return suggests that the new movie could build on its predecessors in terms of its overall mood and narrative approach, while Cretton's directing style might bring something new to the table.

Overall, the movie is eagerly awaited by fans. After the project was stalled for a while due to the search for a new director, the signing of Destin Daniel Cretton indicates that production is now moving on to the next phase. Filming is expected to start in Spring 2025.

Rumors About Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

The situation is currently looking less positive for Sony's animated film "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse", however. Its predecessor, "Across the Spider-Verse", could barely be completed on time in 2023. The production environment is said to have been extremely tough and many members of the crew dropped out early. The originally planned release of the third movie in March 2024 was then canceled at short notice without much justification.

Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider claims to have learned from Sony that a large part of the planned sequel has been canceled due to "creative reasons". The team behind the movie is particularly relieved because they now have more time to work on the project. However, these reports are contradicted by the film's composer, Daniel Pemberton. Quote:

Would you ever believe there could sometimes be stuff on the internet that might not always be particularly accurate?

Nevertheless, a theatrical release of "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" before 2027 seems increasingly unlikely.

A Brief Overview of All Spider-Man Movies

The Spider-Man films have spanned several decades and featured different interpretations of the popular Marvel hero.

Spider-Man-Trilogy (2002–2007)

Director Sam Raimi directed the first Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire in the starring role. The movies ("Spider-Man", "Spider-Man 2", "Spider-Man 3") showed Peter's development as a hero, his relationship with Mary Jane Watson and his battles against villains such as the Green Goblin, Doc Ock and Venom.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012–2014)

After Raimi's trilogy, the series was relaunched with "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" directed by Marc Webb, this time with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. These movies focused on Peter's relationship with Gwen Stacy and introduced new enemies such as the Lizard and Electro.

MCU Spider-Man (2016–today)

Tom Holland took on the role of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with a guest appearance in "Captain America: Civil War" (2016). This was followed by three solo movies: "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017), "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019) and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021). These movies integrated Spider-Man into the bigger MCU and showed his relationship with Tony Stark while dealing with baddies such as Vulture, Mysterio and a multiverse of enemies.

The Spider-Verse (2018-today)

This was followed by the animated movies "Into the Spider-Verse" and "Across the Spider-Verse". The movies follow Miles Morales, a young Spider-Man who meets various versions of Spider-Men and -Women from other universes.