Spider-Man: No Way Home was still in theaters when we started getting official confirmation about Peter Parker’s future. Marvel confirmed that it was working on Spider-Man 4 with Sony, but didn’t share any real details. Marvel just wanted to reassure fans that Disney and Sony wouldn’t be breaking up any time soon. Before that, Sony revealed that Tom Holland should appear as Spider-Man in an unnamed MCU project, confirming a rumored deal between Sony and Disney.
Then, a few weeks ago, we learned that Sony wants to bring back Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Watts for Spider-Man 4. Sony chairman Tom Rothman just reiterated the same objective in a recent interview.
The executive talked to Deadline about what it means for Sony to navigate the industry without operating a streaming service of its own.
That’s actually one reason why No Way Home isn’t available for streaming yet. The movie can’t come to Disney Plus until it hits other services first. As a result, Spider-Man fans will have to wait quite a while to see the film on the streaming service with all of the other MCU movies.
Spider-Man: No Way Home still image from the Statue of Liberty fight. Image source: Sony
Sony’s hopes for Spider-Man 4
No Way Home is one of Sony’s biggest successes, so it’s no wonder that Peter Parker came up in the talk. In this context, Rothman talked about Sony’s plans for Spider-Man 4.
“We have our Marvel business, which breaks into three tranches,” Rothman said. “There are the Spider-Man movies, and we’re currently at work on two Spider-Verse sequels to our Oscar-winning animated movie, with Lord and Miller. We hope to get working on the next Spider-Man movie.”
Asked if Sony is working on Spider-Man 4 with “Jon Watts, Tom Holland, and Zendaya returning,” Rothman said: “That whole group, we hope.”
He then pivoted to the other “tranch” of Sony’s Spider-Man movies, which are only loosely connected to the MCU. “Then there are movies I would call adjunct to the Spider-Man universe. That’s Kraven, which we’re shooting now, and Madame Web, which we’ll start in the spring with S.J. Clarkson directing. And then there are many Marvel characters that are standalone.”
Who needs more Spider-Men when MJ (Zendaya) can stand up to Doctor Strange? Image source: Sony
The right story
It was Rothman who confirmed a few months ago that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man would appear in a different MCU movie. But he never mentioned what sort of crossover it might be. Once again, he wasn’t willing to disclose any plans for Spider-Man 4.
Sony might “hope” to get the gang back together. And Marvel’s Kevin Feige seemed equally convinced that the two companies would team up to make more Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland in the future. But the interview also highlighted an important factor about these projects. Some of the actors aren’t in it solely for the payday.
“I know this goes against the outsider’s perception of Hollywood, but I find that while talent rightfully cares about money, that’s not the prime motivation,” Rothman said. “They care more about their work and making something that matters and lasts.”
He wasn’t explicitly talking about Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man 4. But the point is valid for the future of Peter Parker in the MCU as well. Fans don’t want a Spider-Man 4 story just for the sake of having one. Especially after No Way Home. You can’t replicate that success. You need the right story to reboot the MCU Spider-Man storyline.
Then again, Sony is under pressure to deliver new Spider-Man movies every few years. So we might have more news about Spider-Man 4 in the not-too-distant future.
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