Sam Raimi made his unexpected return to the world of Marvel to take the helm of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and while it was fun seeing him enter the MCU, could he ever return to the Spider-Man Universe? The director took charge of three movies starring Tobey Maguire's web-slinger, but never got the opportunity to return for a fourth.
The filmmaker's Spider-Man 4 fell apart for a variety of reasons and was ultimately replaced by 2012 reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. The plan had been for John Malkovich to play The Vulture, with Anne Hathaway set to star as Black Cat and Angelina Jolie eyed to play Toomes' daughter, "The Vulturess."
Promoting the Doctor Strange sequel, Raimi didn't sound keen on revisiting that movie, but should he ever change his mind, J. Jonah Jameson actor J.K. Simmons would be more than happy to join him.
"Absolutely," the actor responded when asked if he'd return as the hot-headed Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief by Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. "I would do anything that Sam Raimi approached me with. I mean, almost anything."
The actor has since reprised the role as a Jameson Variant in the MCU, playing TheDailyBugle.net's Jonah in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. There had been rumblings about the character appearing in Morbius in order to build connectivity between Sony's Marvel movies.
Thankfully, they reconsidered!
If we are going to see Simmons in a Spider-Man 4, chances are it will be in the one produced by Marvel Studios starring Tom Holland. Assuming Jon Watts decides not to return to the franchise, we can't help but wonder whether Kevin Feige might consider enlisting Raimi to take the helm of what promises to be a street-level adventure for the web-slinger.
As of right now, Spider-Man 4 doesn't have a release date, but is rumoured to be heading our way in late 2024 or the first half of 2025.