Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy director Jon Watts says the next director in the franchise needs to avoid going practical on the web-slinging.
“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 said to Collider during CCXP in Mexico City when the director reflected on his past work in the MCU trilogy.
“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.”
Watts’ advice reflects the direction of not only his MCU-set trilogy but also the past installments directed by Sam Raimi and Marc Webb. Each director balanced ground-breaking CGI effects with practical stunt work to bring the iconic images from the Marvel Comic pages to life. For Watts, the next Spider-Man director needs to continue in that tradition to keep audiences excited.
As Sony moves forward on Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland, the comments by Watts appear to indicate that the Homecoming trilogy director will be moving on from the franchise to focus on the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew series for Disney+. While Sony and Marvel have yet to announce a new director, Holland says he has a creative hand in crafting Peter Parker’s next story.
“This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative so early,” Holland said. “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.”
Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4 does not have a release date. Spider-Man: Homecoming and its sequels are now streaming on Disney+.