The Marvel fandom was dealt a devastating blow as it was announced Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts would relinquish his role as the director for the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot. The Marvel film was poised to be the filmmaker’s next project after the monumental success of the third Spider-Man film. Fans were waiting to hear more details about Watts’ plans when the unexpected news broke. As soon as the announcement dropped, the heartbreak over Fantastic Four gave away to a new question… is Spider-Man 4 still going to happen?
Deadline was the first to report Watts’ departure from Marvel’s first family’s MCU introduction. The decision was amicable as Marvel Studios were “supportive” of the director’s decision to step away from the project while still being optimistic about working together in the future. The Homecoming director echoed the same sentiment while calling his experience making the three Spidey films "incredible and life-changing.” He mentioned supporting the second Fantastic Four reboot whenever it comes outs.
What Does Jon Watts' Fantastic Four Exit Mean for Spider-Man 4?
The Cop Car director stepping away from the MCU might’ve been a bad omen for the Spider-Man franchise. But Spidey fans can feel relieved as Sony Pictures and franchise producers are expecting Watts to return for the next installment. He is expected to reteam with Tom Holland and Zendaya for more web-slinging adventures. For now, he is still attached to helm the film, but if he were to leave the billion-dollar franchise, it might be later down the line.
Holland’s involvement in Spidey 4 might still be up in the air right now. He mentioned being in talks with Sony and Marvel to don the suit once again. Of course, he did also mention taking a break from acting after churning out film after film in recent years. But it seems the studios might be closer to getting the Uncharted actor to play Peter Parker again. Zendaya coming back might be even bigger news as No Way Home left MJ without any recollection of Peter at all. It will be nice to see how the next film will address the change.
Of course, it might be a while before the fourth film hits theaters as Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse was delayed until June 2, 2023, from October 7 of this year. Plus, Sony is busy building up its Spider-Man universe. Dakota Johnson and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney will make their comic book debut in a Madame Web spinoff set for July 7, 2023. Before the female-centric film drops, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will return to the superhero sphere as Kraven the Hunter in January 2023. Of course, Venom 3 is in the works after being teased at CinemaCon with Tom Hardy and Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis fully on board, and music superstar Bad Bunny will bring super-strong wrestler El Muerto to life in January 2024. So, fans might have to wait for Holland’s Spidey return for some time.
What's Next for the Spider-Man: No Way Home Director?
The filmmaker will go back to his horror roots as a producer for Final Destination 6 along with his producer wife Dianne McGunigle. The producing partners were huge fans of the original Final Destination films so the new film is bound to come from a good place.
But for his next turn in the director’s chair, Watts will direct an untitled thriller that reteams friends and Ocean’s Eleven co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt as two rival fixers assigned to the same job. He will pen the script while producing the project alongside Clooney and Pitt. The hot property was snatched up by Apple TV+ with a robust theatrical release as part of the deal. Giving up one project isn’t hard when you’ve got more films in the works.
You can catch up on Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy by getting an Amazon Prime subscription. For more news on Fantastic Four, check back with CinemaBlend for more updates.
