It’s hard to believe that it’s already been almost a year since Spider-Man: No Way Home swung into theaters and entertained Marvel fans with its stunning comic book action and emotional heft. It also landed high on our list of every Spider-Man movie, ranked. Though an extended cut of the Spidey movie recently debuted, many are surely still wondering where things stand in regard to a fourth movie in the Tom Holland-led franchise. Not much has been said as of late, but the stars have been getting those questions since the third film’s release. Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned Leeds, has now become the latest series alum to share thoughts on doing a fourth installment.
Jacob Batalon made his MCU debut as Ned in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and quickly became a fan favorite. After that, the actor reprised the role in the two sequels – Far From Home and No Way Home – as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. So after all of that, how does Batalon feel about playing the “guy in the chair” once more. Well, in a recent interview, the star said that he’d be willing to do sign on – he’d just need more details on such a project first:
I feel like actors are the last people to know. I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don't know anything. But again, if it's the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we've been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We're open to the idea, but we're not hoping for it.
It’s not too surprising that the actor doesn’t know much about what’s to come in the highly successful film franchise. As he mentioned to Collider, the only people who are privy to the key details are the high-ups. Such a person would be Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who was instrumental in getting Spidey into the MCU in the first place. Uncertainty aside, some folks will surely be relieved to know that the Reginald the Vampire star is down to return. Though it seems like he’s not just sitting by and waiting for the call.
Around the time that No Way Home opened in theaters, Kevin Feige addressed the future of the Spider-Man franchise. The high-powered producer didn’t get too deep into specifics but did say that he, co-producer Amy Pascal, Disney and Sony were plotting out another movie. By February 2022, Tom Holland also discussed his Spidey status, saying that he’d had conversations with the producers but that nothing was set in stone.
One has to wonder how the franchise might proceed from a narrative standpoint. The third installment ended with Peter Parker asking that Doctor Strange erase the universe’s memory of him in order to save the multiverse. With that, Jacob Batalon’s Ned and Zendaya’s Michelle “MJ” Jones didn’t recognize their friend by the end of the film. And as they went on with their lives as civilians, Parker continued his crusade as a masked do-gooder. While there’s no telling what will happen next, Amy Pascal has said that one thing upcoming Spider-Man films won’t do is fill the story with a multitude of characters.
I personally don’t mind a sizable break between the web-slinger’s big-screen ventures, but I would like to see another solo outing for the hero sometime in the future. Hopefully, that includes stars like Jacob Batalon as well, as there’s still plenty that can be done with the character. After all, there’s always a possibility (however small it might be) that Batalon’s Ned suits up as Hobgoblin at sometime down the road.
While we wait for word on that, you can grab a Hulu subscription and stream all three films in this latest Spider-Man trilogy and be on the lookout for info on upcoming Marvel movies.
