Tom Holland "confirms" major MCU star will return in Spider-Man 4

It goes without saying that Spider-Man 4 is one of the most eagerly-anticipated movies on the Hollywood horizon. In case you didn't know that, however, now you do. The Sony Pictures film will once again bring Tom Holland's webslinger back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for what is sure to be another memorable adventure - which is now expected to launch a brand new trilogy.

Spider-Man has become one of the staples of the MCU even though he was absent for the franchise's first eight years. It's not surprising though; we are talking about one of the biggest superheroes in the world, whose popularity predates the Marvel Studios franchise by decades. So having him as part of it is a match made in Heaven for fans.

That doesn't change the fact that expectations for Spider-Man 4 are extremely high. They were always going to be, let's be honest, but after the truly mind-blowing affair that the third film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was, the new film is going to have a tough task ahead of it. No doubt all involved will pull it off, especially since it has now seemingly confirmed that Tom Holland won't be the only familiar face back in the sequel.

Tom Holland seemingly confirms Zendaya will return in Spider-Man 4

Tom Holland made a recent appearance on the Rich Roll podcast and during the conversation, he discussed the Spider-Man 4 script. The actor reveals that he has read it and that "it really lit a fire" in him. He also revealed that he read it with Zendaya, seemingly confirming that she will also return to the franchise.

"I read it three weeks ago, and it really lit a fire in me. Zendaya and I sat down and read it together, and we at times were bouncing around the living room, like this is a real movie worthy of fans’ respect.""

While fans were hopeful that Zendaya would be a part of Spider-Man 4, that wasn't always guaranteed. The previous film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, threw the fate of her character, Michelle Jones Watson, in the franchise into question due to a spell that Peter Parker allowed Doctor Strange to perform in order to protect those he loved. That spell - which prevented countless enemies coming in from other universes to attack Spider-Man and his loved ones - resulted in everyone who Peter loved forgetting that he existed.

It was an emotional finale to the pair's arc, as Peter told both MJ and their best friend Ned that he would find them and tell them everything once again. However, still heartbroken over the death of Aunt May, he decided against telling them everything, allowing them to get on with their lives free of danger and the inevitable attention that comes with being close to Spider-Man.

The ending to that movie made it clear that there were more stories for Spider-Man to tell but it wasn't clear if either MJ or Ned would return. With the rumors of a new trilogy on the horizon, the fourth film could have told a different story before pivoting back to Peter's loved ones in a subsequent installment - especially given Spider-Man 4's apparent proximity to both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars and the fact that it is rumored to be a multiversal movie. But in recent months, that seemed less likely.

Deadline previously reported that Destin Daniel Cretton, who already worked with Marvel Studios on Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, is in talks to direct the movie. That report also noted that deals for Tom Holland and Zendaya had not yet been closed but that both stars have been in contact with all involved. Holland's comments now also suggest that Zendaya's involvement in the project is an inevitability.

Of course, some might point to the fact that Holland may have just read the script with his real-life partner Zendaya given that she was involved in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy, but not only would that be unlikely given Marvel Studios' extreme security when it comes to scripts and storylines (and Tom Holland's hilarious ability to accidentally reveal spoilers) but the way that Holland spoke of both his and Zendaya's excitement for the script definitely makes it sound like both of them will be back.