Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumor Involves An Oscar-Winning Actor Who Has Been Making Marvel Movies for 23 Years

Another key character from theSpider-Manmythos will reportedly be part of Marvel Studios'Spider-Man: Brand New Day. A new casting rumor has stated that J. K. Simmons will be reprising his role as The Daily Bugle host J. Jonah Jameson in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel.

According to trusted scooper Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie), Simmons will be making his third MCU appearance as the fan-favorite JJJ in Brand New Day, which is slated to begin production in mid-2025. After winning over fans with his portrayal of Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, Simmons returned to the role, albeit as the MCU variant of the character, for a surprise cameo at the end of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, which saw Jameson outing Peter Parker as the webslinger. Simmons then appeared in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Jameson playing a larger role in the events of the superhero blockbuster.

It's worth noting that Marvel Studios or Sony have yet to confirm Simmons' involvement in Brand New Day. The casting rumor comes roughly two months after the actor tiptoed around addressing whether he'd be back for the fourth Spider-Man movie, telling Screen Rant at the time, "No spoilers. Sorry, I'm not telling."

Simmons is now the third Spider-Man alum who could be potentially returning for Brand New Day. Last week, Richtman stated that Marvel Studios was casting prisoners for the MCU sequel, which led many fans to speculate that Brand New Day may return to the prison that currently houses Michael Keaton's Vulture and Michael Mando's Mac Gargan. Both villains were last seen interacting in prison at the end of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

However, as it stands at this time, the only confirmed cast members for Brand New Day are Tom Holland, reprising his title role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Sadie Sink, whose undisclosed role has led to fans theorizing she could be playing everyone from mutants Jean Grey and Firestar to Spider-Man love interests Black Cat and Gwen Stacy. Zendaya is also expected to have a small role in Brand New Day, reprising her role from the previous Spider-Man trilogy as Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Comes Out After Avengers: Doomsday

A fourth Spider-Man film was confirmed to be in development in December 2021, although development didn't pick up steam until late 2024, when Shang-Chi helmer Destin Daniel Cretton was tapped to direct the superhero blockbuster. Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers returned to write the screenplay for Brand New Day, having so far scripted all the MCU-set Spider-Man movies.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026, almost three months after the hotly anticipated crossover event Avengers: Doomsday opens around the world. At this time, it is unknown if Holland will appear in Doomsday as Spider-Man or if the events of the crossover movie will impact Brand New Day.