‘Spider-Man 4’: Justin Lin Reportedly In Contention To Direct

While we await official announcements concerning Marvel and Sony’s fourth “Spider-Man,” the rumor mill keeps churning and delivering what could be an early head’s up to real news. The latest round of rumblings online comes via a report from The Insneider that claims the studio hopes to shoot the fourth installment in the fall, either September or October. Perhaps more importantly, director Justin Lin (“Fast & Furious” franchise, “Star Trek Beyond”) is said to be one of the names in contention to helm the next installment.

Tom Holland and Zendaya are set to return in their respective roles, and presumably, much of the original Spider-Man cast, such as Jacob Batalon, unless they move in an entirely different direction but keep Zendaya’s MJ character as part of the story. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” concluded with Spider-Man’s heroic identity being erased from the memories of the entire world, including his beloved best friends MJ and Ned (Batalon), thanks to a Doctor Strange spell. The film signaled a new, lonelier chapter for Peter Parker, without friends, family, or allies having to start all over again.

Lin would be a solid choice as he’s had plenty of experience with action filmmaking. He’s tackling a majority of the “Fast & Furious” movies and even took on the “Star Trek” franchise after J.J. Abrams left to focus on “Star Wars.” Lin exited in the middle of “Fast X” production and likely won’t return to that series of films anytime soon, allowing a studio like Marvel Studios to grab him.

Drew Goddard (“Cabin In The Woods”) is another director contender who has been rumored for months now—a filmmaker many have been championing for years to take the franchise reins since Jon Watts’ exit after “Spider-Man: No Way Home—and is still apparently in the mix.

Goddard would arguably be an even more suitable name than Lin. As a writer/director, he’s had many, many near misses with writing and directing superhero movies, coming close with an early “Daredevil” iteration, the “Deadpool” spin-off “X-Force,” and more related, Spider-Man’s “Sinister Six.” Goddard was also briefly involved with Netflix’s “Daredevil” series, writing the first episode, but then parted ways with the series and only remained as an executive producer in the name.

Given the proximity to the “Daredevil: Born Again” series and Charlie Cox’s cameo as Matt Murdock in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” crossovers seem potentially fairly imminent. Several rumors have already pointed to a street-level “Spider-Man 4,” involving Daredevil and Spider-man foe The Kingpin (Vincent D’onofrio), so watch carefully to see how that evolves. So far, no trades have weighed in, but Insneider did break the Scarlett Johansson in “Jurassic World 4” talks, so maybe this one will pan out again.

If the September/October production date is correct and a filmmaker agrees to that timetable, “Spider-Man 4” could still land in late 2025, like ‘No Way Home,’ which was released in December at the tail-end of 2021 and became a near-$2 billion-dollar sensational hit. Stay tuned.