We might as well make it official because he stated it on television. Sony recently revealed that an untitled Spider-Man film, helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Tom Holland, will be released on July 24, 2026.
The announcement follows Holland being questioned about Spider-Man 4 during a press round about his new non-alcoholic beer. He stated, “It’s happening,” on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. “Next summer, we start shooting,” Holland said. “Everything’s good to go — we’re nearly there. Super exciting. I can’t wait!” It now has a release date, and Cretton, who directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for Marvel Studios, is officially joining the project.
Everyone knew a sequel was on the horizon with the huge success of Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. It was necessary. In addition to placing Holland’s Peter Parker character in a completely different circumstance—a stranger to everyone who knows him because of Doctor Strange—that movie also signaled the end of Holland’s relationship with the character. That gave him some leverage, which the actor used to ensure he was returning for Spider-Man for the proper reasons.
“I think the biggest thing that I’m challenged facing right now, which is without a shadow of a doubt the most first-world problem that anyone has ever experienced, is the power of choice and it comes down to Spider-Man,” The 28-year-old actor explained to Rich Roll Podcast. “When I signed my contract for [the first] Spider-Man, I signed a six-picture deal. I was 18 years old. I was more excited than I’d ever been about anything ever, and for the last 10 years I have been at the beck and call of Marvel and Sony and proudly so. It’s been the best experience of my life.” It’s unclear if Zendaya will return to her role as MJ. At the end of the last film, her memories of him are wiped out. It would be sad but not surprising if his girlfriend doesn’t get cast. It sounds like they want to put Spider-Man in uncharted territory.
“I’m now at a juncture where I can say ‘No,’ and now that I’ve been afforded that power I am struggling to figure out what is the right thing to do,” he continued. “It’s meant I’ve had to put my foot down in certain instances, which I haven’t been allowed to do in the past, and I think the learning curve that I’m on right now is dealing with that new sense of power—making sure that I don’t abuse it, but [also] making sure that I do the best thing for me rather than for the studio. And really the best thing for the character. I don’t want to make another movie for the sake of making it.”
However, he did express satisfaction with the script’s current state and revealed last week on The Tonight Show that filming will begin in the summer of 2025.
In September, it was announced that Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Shang-Chi, will helm the follow-up, replacing trilogy director Watts. Other credits for Cretton include Short Term 12 from 2013, The Glass Castle from 2017, and Just Mercy from 2019. Before his departure in November 2023, he was slated to helm the now-canceled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The movie was eventually retitled Avengers: Doomsday. Yahya Abdul Matteen II will star in the upcoming Wonder Man miniseries, which Cretton co-created while remaining a member of the Marvel family. Cretton has also been working on a follow-up to Shang-Chi, but according to a person familiar with the project, the studio’s top focus right now is Spider-Man 4.
Now, the summer of 2026 is looking like it will be a very wild season. Avengers: Doomsday, The Mandalorian, and Grogu, as well as upcoming Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan films (the latter of which will feature Holland), Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, and Supergirl, including Spider-Man 4. Wow.
Which do you look forward to the most? And are you sure that Spider-Man 4 will meet your expectations?