While we know that Zendaya will reprise her role as MJ in next summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there have been contradictory reports about how big a role she'll play in the movie.
At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange's spell meant that Michelle forgot Peter Parker. However, when he crossed paths with her again in the movie's closing moments, there was a glimmer of recognition, suggesting their love might trump the spell that saved Earth-616.
Now, there's speculation that Zendaya's role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be bigger than expected. Her stylist, Law Roach, has revealed in a red carpet interview that he's already preparing outfits for the actress to wear on the movie's press tour.
Someone with a glorified cameo likely wouldn't need to make red carpet appearances. While Zendaya may be there to support fiancé Tom Holland, this does seem to imply that she'll have a substantial role in the next Spider-Man movie.
She's already been spotted on set alongside Holland as Peter Parker visited Aunt May's grave, leading to theories that we'll see MJ regain her memories of who is beneath Spider-Man's mask during this street-level adventure.
Jacob Batalon is also confirmed to reprise his role as Ned, while it was recently rumoured that Tony Revolori is returning as Flash Thompson (a hint perhaps that we'll pay a visit to MIT). It's not clear whether we'll see other familiar faces, such as Betty Brant and J. Jonah Jameson.
"I read it three weeks ago, and it really lit a fire in me," Holland said of Spider-Man: Brand New Day last year. "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 the fans’ respect.’ But there’s a few things we need to figure out before we can get that really going, but it’s exciting."
You can hear more from Roach in the player below.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shares a title with a divisive era of storytelling, which, thanks to a deal with Mephisto, saw the wall-crawler get a fresh start when his marriage to Mary Jane Watson ended and his identity became secret again. He faced many new sinister foes during that time and was surrounded by a fresh supporting cast, including Mister Negative, Jackpot, Menace, and Carlie Cooper.
In the MCU, all signs point to Spidey teaming up with (and at some point fighting) The Punisher to take on a Savage Hulk, with The Scorpion thrown in for good measure.
Several other villains are reportedly set to appear in the movie, including Tombstone, Tarantula, Boomerang, and Ramrod. There's also been some chatter online about the Symbiote factoring into the story, potentially setting the stage for Mac Gargan to don the alien costume as Venom.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Tom Holland plays Spider-Man in a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Zendaya (MJ), Sadie Sink, Michael Mando (The Scorpion), Tramell Tillman, Marvin Jones III (Tombstone), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and Liza Colón-Zayas. Thunderbolts* star Florence Pugh is expected to return as Yelena Belova.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.