Tom Holland, Zendaya’s Spider-Man 4 to be helmed by Shang Chi director: Report | Hollywood

Tom Holland and Zendaya-starrer Spider-Man 4 seems to be moving fast at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially after the recent chain of events. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton has been roped in to helm the fourth instalmenyt of the franchise that’s been directed by John Watts so far. (Also Read: Jenna Ortega reveals she auditioned for Zendaya’s role in Dune when she was 15)

How Destin came onboard

After the success of his 2021 MCU movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Destin was supposed to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, the plans for that project were dropped after Jonathan Majors, who plays Kang in the MCU, was fired on account of being found guilty on two domestic violence charges.

Avengers: Kang Dynasty then evolved into Avengers: Doomsday, with former Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr announcing his return as Doomsday, the chief antagonist. His primary condition to return to the MCU was only if his Iron Man and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Russo Brothers return too. The project was announced at the Sen Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, with Avengers: Doomsday slated to release in cinemas in 2026.

About Spider-Man 4

With Destin now free from his Avengers duties, he was handed the role of helming Spider-Man 4 instead, with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers returning as the screenwriters. Real-life star couple Tom and Zendaya will also reprise their roles of Peter Parker and his girlfriend MJ respectively. Spider-Man 4 will be co-produced by Marvel Studios, led by Kevin Feige, and Sony, headed by Amy Pascal.

The third instalment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, released in 2021, ended with the wiping out of the world’s memory that Peter is Spider-Man. Zendaya’s MJ also doesn’t know Peter anymore and if their romantic track continues, it’ll most likely have to start afresh. It’s unclear whether the former two Spider-Men – Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield – will return for the fourth instalment. It’s supposed to go on floors early next year, but the release date or where it’ll fit into MCU’s Phase 5 timeline isn’t clear yet.