Tom Holland in his Spider-Man suit looking off to the side alongside an image of Spider-Man swinging through the air

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 has found its director. Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy has given the Marvel Cinematic Universe some of the franchise’s best movies. Peter Parker’s solo adventures in the MCU were all directed by Jon Watts. However, the director chose to leave the MCU after 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. After a long period with few updates on the project’s status, Watts’ vacant role has finally been occupied, and an MCU veteran is the one to do it.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm Spider-Man 4. MCU Spider-Man franchise writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers return for the new film. THR also reports that the plan is for Spider-Man 4 to start filming in early 2025. At the moment, no details regarding the story of Holland’s Spider-Man 4 have been revealed, though with filming set to start early next year, more information should come out in the final months of 2024.

Why Destin Daniel Cretton Is A Good Choice To Direct Spider-Man 4

The MCU Veteran Has The Experience For The Coveted Role

Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU's Spider-Man Far From Home looking surprised

Before the latest report, multiple creatives had been rumored to helm Holland’s Spider-Man 4, with Tobey Maguire Spidey trilogy director Sam Raimi and Ms. Marvel directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah among the names said to have been under consideration. Now, the job falls to Cretton. The MCU veteran has one released project in the shared universe so far, which is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The movie featured the kind of kinetic and acrobatic fight sequences that would mesh perfectly with a hero like Spider-Man.

Cretton is shaping up to be one of the most important names in the MCU moving forward. The director is expected to return to helm Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi 2, with Cretton also being one of the co-creators of Disney+’s Wonder Man, an upcoming MCU series that stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, an actor turned superhero. Cretton was initially set to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Marvel changed its plans for the film. He left months before the Russo Brothers were announced to return with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in the now-called Avengers: Doomsday.

While Cretton will no longer be behind Marvel Studios’ next Avengers movie, the director being chosen for the anticipated Spider-Man 4 shows that MCU boss Kevin Feige continues to have faith in his talents. Spider-Man: No Way Home left Holland’s Peter Parker in a dark place, and the sequel could choose to follow that path or double down on the multiverse and bring back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men. Cretton’s talents make him perfect for either choice, being able to make Spider-Man 4‘s possible hard-hitting emotional drama or fantastical multiverse adventure plot work out based on his past films.