Spider-Man Director Jon Watts Uncertain About Returning to the MCU

While the anticipation for a fourth Spider-Man movie featuring Tom Holland is soaring among Marvel fans, one key figure is likely not returning—director Jon Watts. Watts, who directed Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, has expressed doubts about coming back to the franchise or the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Watts explained his reluctance partly stems from his desire to focus on his own creations and the challenge of topping No Way Home. “That was such a specific moment in time, and the reaction to that movie was just so unbelievable,” Watts said. “It’s never going to be like this, ever again.”

Watts has turned his attention to projects of his own making, such as his current film Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. He came to the MCU after directing an indie feature in 2015, Cop Car. “I was just getting started and Marvel came along—and I take full creative ownership over all those films—but Spider-Man is always going to be Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s creation,” Watts stated. “This was the chance for me to go back to my voice and my vision and my style. Wolfs is mine, and that’s a really good feeling.”

Watts also discussed how working on his own movies allows for a more hands-on approach, something he couldn’t fully achieve with Marvel films due to the sheer scale of the projects. “Sometimes you do an action movie, and all the fun action stuff is given to the second-unit director,” he elaborated. “On the Marvel movies, you split up the work because there’s so much to be done. Rarely do you get the Christopher Nolan opportunity to do all of it. On this one, I was like, ‘I want to shoot every single shot.'”

Earlier this year, Watts shared advice for whoever might direct Spider-Man 4: avoid practical wire work. “I have a very practical bit of Spider-Man advice, and I think every Spider-Man director goes through it. It doesn’t look good when someone is just swinging on a rope,” Watts remarked. “You think you’re gonna go in there, you’re like, ‘We’re gonna do it all practical. We’re gonna get a stuntman. We’re gonna be swinging around.’ It’s boring. It looks dumb. It looks like a monkey swinging on a vine when you put someone on just a rope. Don’t waste your time. That’s my advice to the next Spider-Man director.”

As for the future of Spider-Man 4, there have been few updates. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige mentioned that the project was “actively developing,” and Tom Holland has confirmed that he will “always want to do Spider-Man films.” Holland emphasized the importance of finding the right story before moving forward. “The simple answer is that I’ll always want to do Spider-Man films,” Holland said. “I owe my life and career to Spider-Man. So, the simple answer is yes. I’ll always want to do more.”

Holland also highlighted the quality of the team working on the project. “We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing.”

“This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative so early,” Holland added. “It’s just a process where I’m watching and learning. It’s just a really fun stage for me. Like I said, everyone wants it to happen. But we want to make sure we’re not overdoing the same things.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, DarkHorizons