Spider-Man: Brand New Day is reportedly set to commence production this August, and we have a couple of new rumors relating to a key supporting character from the previous trilogy and one of (there are said to be at least two) the movie's villains.
Multiple sources have claimed that Zendaya will have a reduced role as MJ, and it sounds like Jacob Batalon's part will be even smaller. According to scooper MTTSH, Batalon's Ned Leeds "only makes a cameo" in the most recent draft of the script.
This wouldn't be a major surprise following the events of No Way Home, and Brand New Day is expected to introduce a new group of supporting players via Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) college classmates.
As for the villain, speculation began to mount that Mr. Negative might make his big-screen debut as the main antagonist following recent comments from Marvel's Spider-Man video game actor Stephen Oyoung.
Oyoung, who voices Mr. Negative in the game, was asked if he knew anything about the character's inclusion in Brand New Day and whether the studio has been in touch about potentially playing the villain in live-action during an interview with 4GQTV.
"I have not been contacted by Sony. Let me just say I know certain things, but as far as contacting me, that is yet to manifest itself."
"I have sort of a nebulous idea, but I also kind of have no idea," he added. "Marvel, and gaming, and Sony. There are so many big parts. There is so much machinery to this that even if I did know, I couldn’t tell you if I wanted to. What I can say, though, is, again, I am hopeful, very, very hopeful. Personally, I think there is a pretty good chance you will see Mr. Negative in the future in some sort of media, whether it is me or not."
Now, we're hearing that Into the Badlands actor Daniel Wu is the front-runner to play Negative in the movie. Apparently, some concept art of the character has been spotted featuring Wu's likeness (until we see it for ourselves, we wouldn't put too much stock in this).
Unlike the previous films, Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home, Brand New Day is the name of a specific arc from the comics, and focuses on Peter Parker attempting to rebuild his life following the events of the status quo-altering One More Day and Civil War.
Brand New Day features a number of new characters such as Carlie Cooper and Lily Hollister, aka the supervillain Menace, which has led to speculation that Sadie Sink may have been cast in one of these roles.
Of course, just because the movie borrows the title, doesn't mean it's going to be anything close to a direct adaptation of the comic storyline - although we will likely see certain elements carry over, especially since No Way Home ended with Doctor Strange casting a spell to make everyone that knew Peter forget that he exists.
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 during CinemaCon. "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."
Spider-Man 4 was recently pushed back a week from July 24, 2026 to July 31, 2026.