Say what you will about Disney – thanks to the resurgence of unique Marvel IPs as of late, people are, once again, genuinely excited about the next superhero movies coming to theatres.
From exciting news to shocking shakeups, here’s what’s coming to the MCU.
“Spider-Man 4” Goes Into Full Swing Next Year
With the recent release of “Venom: The Last Dance,” Spider-Man fever is through the roof. However, the current actor for the beloved webhead, Tom Holland, has just catapulted Spider-Mania to an all-time high after confirming that the next instalment of the franchise is in the works.
During an interview on “The Tonight Show,” the actor confirmed that “it’s happening.” Hhe went on to say that shooting will begin next summer and that he can’t wait for it.
When Holland appeared on Good Morning America the day after his announcement, the actor offered more information on the upcoming film. He went on to say that the team is “super close to having a creative that’s worthy of the fans. Now we feel confident that the idea is strong enough that this is going ahead, we’re going to shoot this summer. The idea is crazy, it’s a little different than what we’ve done before.”
2025 is shaping up to be an interesting year for Holland, as not only will he donning the Webslinger suit once more, but he will also be joining Matt Damon in a Christopher Nolan film for Universal Pictures. Funnily enough, “Avengers: Doomsday,” which features the return of Robert Downey, Jr. to the MCU, is expected to start filming in the same year.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed last September that Destin Daniel Cretton, known for directing “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” will most likely be the one to helm the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, taking the mantle from Jon Watts, who directed the first three instalments.
Surprisingly, notoriously loose-lipped Holland was able to keep quiet and not accidentally divulge any plot details about his upcoming film. However, there is a large possibility that the movie might take place months or even years after the events of “No Way Home,” as Peter is forced to wrestle with the consequences of his actions and perhaps even find a way to undo his wish for anonymity.
The evidence that supports this theory is the fact that MCU still has multiple untitled films spread across the calendar, from February 2026 all the way to 2028, and any one of those films can be Spider-Man. If we are to theorise and base it on the comic, however, we can most likely expect the film to arrive before “Avengers: Secret Wars,” as Spider-Man might have a significant amount of screentime, due in large part to the fact that it was the comic event that introduced the symbiotes to the greater Marvel universe.
Marvel Reboot Of “Blade” Removed From MCU’s Release Calendar
Following the release of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the Merc with a Mouth actor Ryan Reynolds went on social media to say that “Blade” was “Marvel Daddy” and that without it, there wouldn’t be an MCU or Fox Marvel Universe that we know today. Since then, the actor has been clamouring to give the OG Marvel hero a Logan-like send-off.
However, prior to this, in July 2019, Disney had taken the IP and planned out an official MCU reboot of the character. The film was to star Mahershala Ali as the titular half vampire. However, it seems as though this iteration of the Daywalker might never see the sun as it has been suddenly removed from the release schedule. Curiously enough, three more untitled projects were added to their schedule – on 28th February 2028, 5th May 2028, and 10th November 2028.
Despite its sudden removal, it was not an unexpected development, as Disney CEO Bob Iger, in his 7th May earnings call, said that there would be “a maximum of three” MCU movies a year. There are four films slated for release in 2025, which are “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and “Blade,” the last of which has not started production.
Production has not been easy for the film, as it has faced numerous setbacks, including its supposed director Yann Demange leaving the project; the 2023 WGA strike; and many more. Polygon has recorded all known setbacks during the production of the film, which you can check out right here. It was because of this that Marvel decided against moving forward with a “Blade” film that might not live up to the hype.
Kevin Feige has stated in previous interviews that they do not want to rush the film, as they want to do right by it. The original trilogy of films led by Wesley Snipes, which ran from 1998 to 2004, is the most important work in the superhero genre, as it became the foundation of every superhero movie to date. To create a half-hearted reboot would be an injustice of unprecedented scale.
It’s interesting to note that Snipes reprised his role as the Daywalker in the aforementioned R-rated film “Deadpool & Wolverine,” where, with almost Nostradamus-esque foresight, he stated that, “There’s only been one Blade. There will only ever be one Blade.”
And he’s right.
Source: Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Deadline
