Tom Holland Gets New Co-Star in ‘Spider-Man 4’ After Zendaya Role Cut: Report
Tom Holland’s cinematic journey as Spider-Man kicked off with his memorable debut in Captain America: Civil War (2016) before Jon Watts’ trilogy chronicled the young hero’s growth.
From the high school struggles of Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) to the grief-driven narrative of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Holland’s Peter Parker matured into a battle-tested hero. That path culminated in the Multiverse-shattering Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which united Holland with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s iterations in a record-breaking box office event.
Holland once remarked he wanted to hand the torch to Miles Morales before turning 30, but when Spider-Man 4 hits theaters on July 31, 2026, he’ll be right at that milestone. Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) will direct the new installment.
Following the resolution of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Holland confirmed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that production is underway. Marvel and Sony have since revealed the official title as Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), arriving just months ahead of Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, that crossover will see Robert Downey Jr. return to the MCU as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom, alongside a mix of returning and current MCU characters.
Details on Peter’s next adventure are under wraps, though Watts previously described his trilogy as a sweeping origin tale. Producer Amy Pascal hinted to Deadline that the sequel would deal directly with the ending of No Way Home.
“Well, we have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker, and he was going to focus on being Spider-Man because being Peter Parker was too hard,” Pascal explained. “So that’s what the movie’s about… There’s room to grow.”
One notable change involves Zendaya’s MJ. According to Jeff Sneider earlier this year, she’ll have a “severely reduced” role in Spider-Man 4 due to overlapping projects, including Euphoria Season 3, Dune 3, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, in which she’ll reunite with Holland.
This opens the possibility for another central figure from the comics to step in. Rumors point to Gwen Stacy’s arrival, with the film’s reported working title, “Blue Oasis,” fueling speculation that it draws inspiration from Jeph Loeb’s acclaimed 2002 series “Spider-Man: Blue.”
“‘Spider-Man: Blue’ was a comic written by Jeph Loeb in 2002 that ran for six issues. The story is set on Valentine’s Day and presents a Spider-Man who feels ‘blue’ or depressed as he sits atop the Brooklyn Bridge,” The Cosmic Circus explained. “The story retells how Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy first met and fell in love in a beautifully told story that melts even the coldest of hearts.”
Casting buzz intensified when Deadline revealed Stranger Things star Sadie Sink will join Holland in Spider-Man 4. While previously tied to Marvel’s eventual X-Men reboot as Jean Grey, insiders now say she may instead portray a Multiversal take on Mary Jane Watson.
“[Jeff] Sneider, if you remember, was the first to break the story that Sink was the frontrunner for Jean Grey in Marvel Studios’ X-Men and admits to being surprised that Sink was announced for Spider-Man 4 instead of the mutant reboot, but says he heard from his sources last night that Sink will likely be playing Watson, not Jean Grey,” Comic Book Movie reported.
Sink’s casting is confirmed, though her character remains a secret. New chatter suggests another possibility entirely.
“It’s said that “Annabelle Adams” is being used as a possible codename for Sink’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day character, though the question mark seems to suggest that it may be who she’s actually playing,” Comic Book Movie reported.
Annabelle Adams originates from “Scarlet Spider Vol. 2,” first appearing in issue #1 as a bartender and part-time singer at Houston’s Four Seasons Hotel. Her path intersects with Kaine Parker, the clone of Peter Parker who becomes the Scarlet Spider. In the comics, her loyalties are murky—she once burns a warning letter from Madame Web before departing. Later, speculation arises that she might be the villain Shathra after the latter impersonates her in issue #24.
In the MCU timeline, Zendaya’s Michelle Jones-Watson lost her memories of Peter after Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) erased him from everyone’s mind. Introducing Sink as a new romantic interest could deepen Peter’s arc while further framing Watts’ trilogy as a prolonged origin.
The MCU’s Phase Five recently wrapped with Thunderbolts* (2025) after Captain America: Brave New World. Most recently, Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps landed in July 2025.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives July 31, 2026, with Avengers: Doomsday closing out the year in December. Elsewhere, Kevin Feige confirmed Black Panther 3 is moving forward, coinciding with the departure of longtime producer Nate Moore after Captain America: Brave New World.
What do you think of Zendaya’s smaller role in Spider-Man 4 and Sadie Sink’s potential debut as Annabelle Adams? Join the discussion in the comments below.
