Marvel and Sony confirmed another Spider-Man movie for the MCU in the days that followed the No Way Home premiere. But we still don’t have a release date for the next Spider-Man, and it’s unclear when Marvel and Sony will share more. We do have a small update though, as Jacob Batalon, who played Ned in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies, says that he has no idea whether he’ll be back for Spider-Man 4.
If you missed No Way Home, you should know that big spoilers may follow below.
Who will be in Spider-Man 4?
The ending of No Way Home allows Marvel and Sony to reboot the Spider-Man storyline in the MCU. Everyone in this reality has forgotten who Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is. But they know there’s a Spider-Man. And Wong (Benedict Wong) knows Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) just performed a big spell to make everyone forget about something.
But that ending was incredibly heartbreaking. Peter had to let go of Ned and MJ (Zendaya), at least temporarily. Any future story arcs will have to involve these characters. It’s unlikely that Peter will completely move on and stop checking on his best friends.
With that in mind, we’d expect Batalon and Zendaya to be involved in whatever sequels Marvel and Sony makes. We saw rumors claiming that Sony wants Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Watts back for Spider-Man 4.
Talking to Collider about the Reginald the Vampire movie, Batalon also touched on his Ned from the Spider-Man movies.
The actor revealed his reaction to the No Way Home ending.
“We all very much were crying, our last day of work,” Batalon said. “Even at the premiere, we were all crying. It was such a beautiful experience to be a part of, I think for all of us. We started at a very young age, being teenagers, essentially, when we started the first movie. And to really watch the arc of the movies come together and all of our characters come full circle, I would say that it was crazy.”
Jacob Batalon knows nothing about the next sequel
“It was a crazy thing to read. It was crazy to see Andrew and Tobey in the script. It was crazy to have all the villains in the script,” he continued. “And then, to have it end the way it did, on such a cliffhanger, obviously, everyone wasn’t expecting that. I would say that it’s such a poignant ending to our movies.”
Batalon dropped the Spider-Man 4 reference in this train of thought. The actor said the No Way Home ending “puts an exclamation on the continuance of Spider-Man, but maybe not with us, and I think that’s a great thing. We may not necessarily be a part of it, in the end, but it was a beautiful ride anyway.”
Batalon says he hasn’t heard from the studios and is unsure whether his character will be back in Spider-Man 4. Also, he never mentioned the movie by name.
“I feel like actors are the last people to know,” Batalon said. “I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don’t know anything. But again, if it’s the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we’ve been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We’re open to the idea, but we’re not hoping for it.”
Moreover, Batalon told Collider that he hadn’t put too much thought into the next Spider-Man director. It’s unclear whether Sony and Marvel will work with Jon Watts on new Spider-Man 4 movies or choose a different director.
When will Spider-Man 4 hit theaters?
“I feel like we’re all really moving in ways where we’re not really hoping for it to happen, Batalon concluded. “Not that it’s bad, I just feel like we’re not really anticipating another movie. I just feel like we’re all doing our own thing. But again, whatever happens, happens.”
As a rule of thumb, statements from MCU stars should not be fully trusted. The actors will do their best to deny involvement in secret projects, and No Way Home’s Andrew Garfield is the best proof of that. That said, Batalon might simply be doing his job and keeping his side of the deal secret. Or he might be negotiating a bigger contract for the trilogy that will start with Spider-Man 4.
On the same note, Tom Holland and Zendaya are yet to confirm their involvement in future Spider-Man movies.
As for a Spider-Man 4 release date, there’s nothing official just yet. We know that Holland should reprise his role in an MCU crossover soon. Separately, there is an untitled Sony/Marvel MCU project set to premiere on July 12th, 2024. But it might not necessarily be Spider-Man 4.
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