Following the massive success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, there have been conflicting reports about the potential returns of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Sam Raimi's original big-screen wall-crawler and his Amazing Spider-Man counterpart.
Previous rumors have claimed that Sony Pictures' Tom Rothman and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige had a difference of opinion when it comes to the plot of Spider-Man 4 with the latter hoping to scale the Multiverse elements back for a smaller adventure. Rothman, meanwhile, is said to have wanted to capitalize on No Way Home's spectacular box office performance by bringing Maguire and Garfield back as their respective takes on Peter Parker.
Whatever disagreements Rothman and Feige may have had, they have clearly been ironed out. We recently learned that the movie has an official title, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with a script from No Way Home scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton at the helm. The movie has also been given an official release date of July 31, 2026.
Plot details remain under wraps for the time being, but we do know that Sadie Sink has joined the cast in an undisclosed role, and rumor has it that Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be facing off against a female villain for the first time. Is there a chance Maguire and Garfield will also put in an appearance? We'd say it's a long shot, but Garfield, at least, definitely sounds keen to don the iconic red and blue again at some point.
“I would love to play the character again in some capacity, but I think it would have to be very weird," the actor said at a recent fan event when asked about his potential return to the role. "I think I would like to do something very strange, I would want to do something very unique, and offbeat and surprising.”
If Garfield does return as Spider-Man, Avengers: Secret Wars might seem like the safest bet, but we wouldn't count on it given the sheer amount of characters being lined up for the upcoming MCU event movies.
Late last year, a rumored synopsis for the then untitled Spider-Man 4 did the rounds online after showing up on a production website. The outline didn't garner much attention since fans figured it sounded a little too "basic," but with the Brand New Day title now confirmed, people are taking another look.
"Following the events of Doomsday, Peter Parker is determined to lead a normal life and focus on college, stepping back from his responsibilities as Spider-Man. However, peace is short-lived when a deadly new threat emerges, endangering his friends and forcing Peter to reconsider his promise. With stakes higher than ever, Peter reluctantly returns to his Spider-Man identity and finds himself teaming up with an unlikely ally to protect those he loves."
Even if this is accurate, it doesn't reveal very much. There are numerous possibilities for this "unlikely ally," but some fans are convinced it will be Sink's mysterious character and not a previously established MCU hero.
“I’m spending my time exploring the next stage of this amazing character with a team of the most incredible artists in the world," said director Destin Daniel Cretton. "We’re all, just daily, nerding out over the suit, how to swing, how to create an event, an emotional story, and a ride that we haven’t really seen before"
Holland did not appear in Las Vegas for the Sony presentation, but did send the following video message.
"I am so sorry I can’t be with you. I am halfway around the world shooting a movie. I know we left you with a massive cliffhanger at the end of No Way Home, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fresh start. It is exactly that. That’s all I can say."