Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Queen’s Gambit, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now, so the new rumor claiming she is in talks to join the MCU is not surprising.
According to industry scooper Daniel Richtman, there is chatter that the actress is being considered for a role in Peter Parker’s upcoming return, Spider-Man 4, in a role that is being kept under wraps.
We’re not sure if she’s actually in talks or is simply someone Marvel/Sony is interested in, but we have previously heard that the studios were in the process of casting a new female lead (there’s speculation that it might be Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, but the character’s involvement has yet to be confirmed).
This wouldn’t be Taylor-Joy’s first brush with the Marvel universe, as she played Illyana Rasputin/Magik in 20th Century Fox’s ill-fated The New Mutants. She was also believed to be up for the role of Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps prior to Julia Garner landing the gig.
Reliable sources have claimed that Spider-Man 4 will introduce two new villains, and Tom Holland’s Parker will also have to contend with an old foe in the form of Michael Keaton’s Vulture. Casting is said to be underway for a new group of classmates for Peter.
ComicBook reports that Sony’s Tom Rothman and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige have had some disagreements when it comes to the plot of Spider-Man 4, with the latter hoping to scale the Multiverse stuff back for a smaller adventure. Rothman, meanwhile, is said to have wanted to capitalize on No Way Home‘s success by bringing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back as their respective takes on Peter Parker.
More recently, we heard that both studios had settled on a mostly grounded story with some Multiversal elements, though the movie is still being described as an “Avengers-level event.”
No Way Home scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are writing the script, and Destin Daniel Cretton will direct. The movie scheduled to swing into theaters on July 24, 2026.
