RUMOR: Spider-Man 4 to Start Filming This Fall

Movies

Spider-Man may not be stuck to a wall much longer. According to Jeff Sneider and his blog, Insneider (which is pay-walled, so you can read the pertinent information from World of Reel and JoBlo), the next Spider-Man movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will begin filming this fall, “in September or October.” Marvel is currently looking for a director to take the reins from Jon Watts, who directed the last three. A while back, Daniel Richtman claimed that Marvel wanted Drew Goddard to helm Spidey’s next adventure, and Sneider confirms that he is still on Marvel’s shortlist, though they’re also looking at Justin Lin, director of some of the Fast and Furious movies and Star Trek Beyond. Sneider also says that Tom Holland and Zendaya will return and that the latter’s involvement is a big part of why season 3 of Euphoria is being delayed, with the next Spider-Man being the scheduling conflict HBO mentioned. These are still technically rumors, but Sneider has a great track record for scoops.

As with most Marvel news lately, I have mixed feelings about this. (Actually, they’re mixed at the best of times.) Justin Lin isn’t the worst director in the world; he did some of the better Fast movies (and possibly the worst one). But I really want it to be Drew Goddard, especially if he’s also going to write the script. He’s got the perfect sensibility for this, and his writing credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer (of which, to say the least, I am fond), Angel, The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale, Daredevil, and The Martian. If you want a Peter Parker who balances drama and humor, Goddard can deliver that. They’re crazy if they don’t try their damnedest to sign him and then get the hell out of his way. As for the actors, I love Tom Holland in the role and am glad to see him return, but I’m not happy about them bringing Zendaya back as Michelle. Spider-Man: No Way Home had a fantastic ending with a character-defining choice that changed Peter’s world forever and finished his development into Spider-Man as we know him. It was sad, it was hopeful, it was tragic, it was exciting, and it was perfect. So, of course, Marvel can’t wait to undo it because Zendaya is popular. And this isn’t about her being bad; I like her fine. But the ending of No Way Home doesn’t work if Michelle comes back; Peter needs to have closed the book on her for her own good and the safety of the world. This is why a lot of people feel like Marvel doesn’t care about storytelling and character arcs anymore – because they trample on them the second they can get a big name back. Peter should be moving into the next stage of his life, where he becomes a photographer for the Daily Bugle (which, in this version, should grow from a podcast to a newspaper), meets Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane (they can do a lot with the fact that the latter and Michelle share initials), and encounters more of his villains. But it looks like Peter will regress, just as the rest of the MCU has.