We continue to hear troubling reports about Spider-Man 4, though they were arguably to be expected given how long it's been since we last saw the wall-crawler on the big screen (2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home feels like a very long time ago).
The delays have allowed scoopers to start sharing rumours which many worry a lot of fans, including recent claims that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have conflicting visions for both the release date and creative direction.
We'd take everything with a pinch of salt for now, but Daniel Richtman is today reporting that Sony is keen to rush Spider-Man 4 into theaters no matter what (even if it means Kevin Feige can't be closely involved from a creative standpoint). Essentially, the studio is desperate for a hit.
Sony boss Tom Rothman is eager for Jon Watts, the director of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, to return. He is, after all, a reliable hand who delivered three massive critical and commercial successes for them.
Feige, meanwhile, wants someone else - Drew Goddard, presumably - and would like Watts to work on other MCU projects. The filmmaker very nearly helmed The Fantastic Four, so we wouldn't be shocked if he's being eyed for one or both of the next Avengers movies.
Richtman adds that longtime Spider-Man franchise producer Amy Pascal hopes Feige will be involved with a future live-action Miles Morales movie, suggesting the partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony will continue once Tom Holland has bid farewell to Peter Parker. After Madame Web, that seems wise.
Recently, Pascal said a live-action Miles won't be seen on screen "until we make two more movies." She'd add, "Someday. Someday. We're very happy doing [the animated Spider-Verse movies]."
Spider-Verse producer and writer Chris Miller later took to X to clarify, "When she said 'not until we make two more movies,' she meant Beyond the Spider-Verse and the live-action Tom Holland film."
Last year, Holland shared his thoughts on potentially sharing the screen with Miles. "I would be honored to bring Miles Morales into the live action world," the actor enthused. "How we do that, I don't know, but given the opportunity, I would jump at it."
While there's currently a great deal of uncertainty surrounding Spider-Man's MCU future, a fourth solo outing is happening and the web-slinger is still expected to be a lead character in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.