So many directors have been attached to Spider-Man over the past 20 years, but there are also many who should have been in the running. As fans are often critical of studios' choices of directors, Redditors all have their own picks as to who would make the best use of the superhero.
As there are so many unique visuals and styles tied to the character, it limits the number of filmmakers who would be cut out to take on the material. But many Redditors have some interesting choices with compelling arguments to back them up. Between cinema auteurs and creatives well versed with the source material, any one of them would make the No Way Home follow up so fascinating.
Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard is more of a writer than a director, but his resume is outstanding. He wrote the genius satirical horror Daredevil, so he's already well-versed in the Marvel world.
Redditor Amazing Spider-Man series and its subsequent cancelation was completely unrelated to Goddard, he totally deserves a shot at directing a Spidey movie, even if it isn't based on the superhero team.
Jon Favreau
There's no question that Iron Man 2). But what makes the writer-director so eligible is his relationship with Spider-Man and the Home trilogy. As he plays Happy in the MCU, the character swiftly transitioned from being Tony Stark's errand boy to Peter Parker's father figure.
The Mandalorian and working with Disney on so many Star Wars projects, he's such a great action director and he knows the world almost as well as MCU producer Kevin Feige.
Wes Anderson
No-good-names-left-3 notes that director Wes Anderson is "the only one fit for the job." The filmmaker is known for his unique directing style, such as everything in the shot being so symmetrical, the minimal dialogue, and the '60s rock soundtrack. And as many of his films are coming-of-age flicks, the pairing makes sense.
There is actually a hilarious viral parody video that imagines what an Anderson-directed Spider-Man movie would be like. However, despite the idea being a running gag, Wes Anderson actually almost helmed Spider-Man, as he was offered to direct The Amazing Spider-Man before Marc Web.
Guillermo Del Toro
Gullermo Del Toro is one of the The Shape of Water, to name a few. And that's why Pirate-Green-Beard thinks he'd be a great pick to direct the next Spider-Man movie.
However, the choice comes with an asterisk, as the Redditor says del Toro should direct only "if the next villain is going to be Venom." The filmmaker has created so many fascinating movie creatures, most of which have been made practically with prosthetics, so it'd be intriguing to see what the visionary could do with the beloved villain.
Jon Watts
Though he came from an indie background, with just a couple of very low-budget movies to his name, the Home trilogy helped John Watts perfect his craft. As Pandadanda1999 puts it when speaking about No Way Home, "he came on leaps and bounds in his directing, while keeping everything that worked." And the Redditor believes Watts should continue directing Spider-Man movies.
However, it's logistically impossible, as it has already been announced that Watts will be directing MCU's Fantastic Four. But that's hardly a bad thing, and based on how incredible and full of surprises No Way Home is, it's a good sign for the third attempt at rebooting Marvel's first superheroes. They say the third time's a charm.
Sam Raimi
Just like Watts, Sam Raimi has famously already directed three Spider-Man movies. The director spearheaded the first trilogy led by Tobey Maguire, and though the third movie in the series wasn't so well received, that was due to studio meddling, and the first two entries are considered superhero movie classics.
Redditor fans are campaigning for Raimi's Spider-Man 4. And as Raimi is back directing superhero movies, there's no better time than now.
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cary Joji Fukunaga has a wide range when it comes to the genres he works in, as he directed the romantic drama No Time to Die."
Fukunaga could bring his exciting and unique filmmaking techniques to Spider-Man. Extremely long takes, specifically during action scenes, have become the director's trademark. It was first on display in True Detective, in which there's one 6-minute shot of a gang robbery that goes brutally wrong. The director pulled it off in No Time To Die too, and it'd be so much fun to see Spidey web-slinging through the city with Fukunaga's trademark technique.
Christopher Nolan
People throw out Christopher Nolan's name when talking about any existing franchise. After he completely reinvented Batman with the Dark Knight trilogy, and every movie thereafter attempted to replicate its success, Nolan has been the go-to director for any series' fan dream-hiring a director.
But Nolan's Oppenheimer movie.
Rian Johnson
Rian Johnson had a lot of critics after he directed the 2017 movie got a lot wrong, but he's still a great filmmaker, especially when it comes to visual effects and working with actors. RemyH hilariously notes that Johnson would be great to helm a Spider-Man movie "just as long as he doesn't have any say in the writing."
However, even when it comes to writing, The Last Jedi is the one notable exception, as Johnson wrote the incredible teen drama Brick and the best mystery movie in years, Knives Out.
Edgar Wright
Redditor Shaun of the Dead." The director does have an exciting and frenetic energy, and seeing Spider-Man web-slinging in sync with the music just like how Baby drove to the soundtrack would be so original.
However, unfortunately, Edgar Wright was infamously hired to write and direct Ant-Man, but he left the project due to creative differences with the studio. So it's unlikely that he'd ever want to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but fans can dream.
