After years of speculation about Tom Holland’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we finally have news about the franchise’s future in the form of a new director. And he’s no stranger to the MCU.
Shang-Chi’s Destin Daniel Cretton to Direct Spider-Man 4 for Marvel Studios
According to an exclusive report from The Hollywood Reporter, Destin Daniel Cretton has been tapped to direct the fourth installment in the Spider-Man film franchise, and Tom Holland is expected to return. The news comes after heavy speculation around which director would follow up Jon Watts under the Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios co-production banner. Before this announcement, there was uncertainty about Tom Holland’s future in the MCU. Still, the news of a director finally being attached to the project more than likely indicates that pre-production on the film is set to begin soon.
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The most surprising aspect of this news is that it is Destin Daniel Cretton who will be helming the highly anticipated fourth installment. This is a first in the Spider-Man movies, with Sam Raimi’s trilogy being the end of that interaction of the character and Marc Webb’s plans for an interconnected universe ending with The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Cretton directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a superhero origin story often considered one of the best MCU films post-Endgame. Cretton’s work on the film must have impressed Feige and the higher-ups at Marvel Studios, as he was tasked not only with a sequel to that film but a Disney+ show centered around the Ten Rings organization as well.
Before swiftly departing the project, Cretton was also attached to the then-titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. It’s clear that his creative vision is one that Feige and the studio can get behind, and it remains to be seen if Spider-Man 4 will take precedence over the untitled Shang-Chi sequel, which is also missing a release date.