SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Casting Call Teases a Big Villain; Zendaya's Role as MJ Revealed
Spider-Man’s next big screen adventure is heating up behind the scenes, and a new casting call might have just given fans a clue about which villain Peter Parker will be facing. Plus, there’s fresh news about Zendaya’s MJ, and it might not be what fans were hoping for.
At this point, depending on who you ask, Spider-Man: Brand New Day could go in just about any direction. Some say Peter is about to battle cosmic heavy-hitters like Knull or Mephisto. Others are banking on street-level foes like Black Cat, Jackpot, Scorpion, Shocker, or even a gender-swapped Chameleon.
There’s even been Doctor Doom chatter. In short, the rumor and speculation mill is all over the place, and fans are getting a little restless waiting for something concrete.
Enter Daniel Richtman, a scooper who claims Marvel Studios is now casting prisoners for Brand New Day. That may not seem like a big deal for a superhero movie, but it does carry some weight considering the last time Spider-Man crossed paths with prisoners in the MCU was at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, when Adrian Toomes (Vulture) had a tense encounter with Mac Gargan (Scorpion) behind bars.
That little detail has fans buzzing that Scorpion, and maybe even Toomes, could be making a comeback for the new film.
Meanwhile, The Cosmic Circus shared a bit of disappointing news for fans of Peter and MJ’s romance. Zendaya is set to have only a "minor" role this time around.
She’s booked and busy with plenty of other projects, but there’s also the in-universe hurdle that nobody remembers Peter Parker anymore. As much as fans want a Peter/MJ reunion, Marvel seems to be leaning into a clean slate, a chance to introduce new faces into Peter’s life.
Last December, longtime Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal offered a little glimpse into the project’s direction, sharing, "We're starting shooting the next Spider-Man movie with Destin Daniel Cretton. He's a wonderful director. I love Just Mercy, I love Short Term 12, I love Shang-Chi. I think he did a wonderful job."
When asked if No Way Home was the perfect send-off, Pascal teased, "Well, we have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker. And he was going to focus on being Spider-Man because being Peter Parker was too hard. That's what the movie is about."
Tom Holland also chimed in, sounding just as excited: "I read it three weeks ago and it really lit a fire in me," he revealed late last year. "Zendaya and I sat down and read it together and we at times were like bouncing around the living room.
“Like this is a real movie worthy of the fans’ respect, but there [are] a few things we need to figure out before we can get that really going. But it’s exciting and I’m really, really excited about it."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially swings into theaters on July 31, 2026, with Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton behind the camera and a script from returning writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Whatever surprises Marvel has in store, it sounds like Peter Parker’s story is far from over, it’s just getting a very different kind of new beginning.