Spider-Man 4 may include a Marvel heroine although Sony cannot confirm it will be Anya Taylor-Joy as Black Cat, says boss: "There’s a lot of fantastic female characters, but I can't talk about all this"

Furiosa
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Amid rumors, it looks like Anya Taylor-Joy still hasn't officially been cast as Marvel heroine Black Cat in Spider-Man 4, as Sony boss Amy Pascal gives a cryptic update.

"She would be fantastic, she’s amazing, we’re not quite at that stage yet," said Pascal to Metro Entertainment when asked about Taylor-Joy's rumored casting. "There’s a lot of fantastic female characters, but I cant talk about all this, I cant tell you everything."

Earlier this year, Spidey star Tom Holland confirmed that the fourth instalment is in production, with filming set to start in summer 2025. However, with no official synopsis or cast list released as of yet, fans have been speculating that Zendaya’s MJ may take a step back for either Gwen Stacey or another female character to take the lead.

There had been some speculation that Taylor-Joy is up for a leading female role in Spider-Man 4, but this is yet to be confirmed. Amid the early casting talk and rumors, fans quickly began to speculate that The Menu star could play this Holland’s Gwen Stacey. Stacey is Peter Parker’s other love interest, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard in Toby Maguire’s run as Spidey, and Emma Stone during Andrew Garfield’s time as Parker.

However, other Marvel heads seem to think Taylor-Joy would be better suited as Black Cat. Felicia Hardy AKA Black Cat is a burglar and the daughter of a master thief, reminiscent of DC’s Catwoman. In the Marvel comics, Hardy first crosses paths with Spider-Man while attempting to free her father from prison, and the two quickly begin a complicated romance. Who knows, could Taylor-Joy as Black Cat be Spider-Man’s new love interest?

Spider-Man 4 is set to swing into theatres on July 24, 2026. For more on the MCU, check out our guides to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, the Marvel timeline, and how to watch the Marvel movies in order

Editorial Associate, 12DOVE

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

Read more
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Sadie Sink addresses Marvel casting rumors after Jean Grey and Spider-Man 4 reports
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man 4 release date, cast, plot theories, and everything else we know about the Marvel movie
Sadie Sink
Marvel fans have a new theory about which member of the X-Men Sadie Sink could be playing in Spider-Man 4 – and it's not Jean Grey
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joins Spider-Man 4 and fans are already theorizing she might be X-Men’s Jean Grey
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Andrew Garfield denies being signed up for Spider-Man 4, but also knows "no one’s gonna trust" him after No Way Home
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio swiftly shoots down reports of his involvement in Spider-Man 4
Latest in Marvel Movies
Wanda in Doctor Strange
Scarlet Witch star Elizabeth Olsen is one of the first Marvel actors to say she's not in the next pair of Avengers movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania
Paul Rudd is still thinking about that one Thanos and Ant-Man fan theory: "I often wonder, though, could he really have stopped Thanos in that way?"
She-Hulk on Disney Plus
Tatiana Maslany canceled a Comic Con appearance due to "filming commitments", and it could mean She-Hulk is in the next Avengers movie
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Daredevil star Charlie Cox says keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo a secret for two years was a "nightmare"
Avengers: Doomsday directors admit it's a "difficult" movie to make but tease some great Marvel collaborators "old and new"
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The Russo Brothers say Robert Downey Jr. "tried to talk us into" doing another Avengers movie but they "said no" until they heard the pitch for Doomsday: "That story has to be told"
Latest in News
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB