This Spider-Man 4 Rumor Might Enrage Zendaya's Euphoria Fans

It's a well-worn joke at this point that by the time "Euphoria" Season 3 rolls around, those teenage characters will need to sign up for Social Security. The most recent update states that the next season has been placed on hold, with The Hollywood Reporter publishing the following statement from HBO: "In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities." What we know so far about "Euphoria" Season 3 is that it's still in the pipeline, and one wrinkle possibly causing problems with scheduling is Zendaya's involvement in the upcoming "Spider-Man 4."

Zendaya plays MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man movies in addition to having the lead role of Rue on "Euphoria." Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider posted a rumor on The InSneider (available only to paid subscribers) about potential scheduling issues, claiming, "I'm told that HBO really didn't want to wait until next year to shoot 'Euphoria' but with Zendaya locked into another Spider-Man movie this fall, the network didn't have much of a choice, as they can't shoot the show with its star, and Spidey is a long shoot."

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" ends with MJ and everyone else forgetting who Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is. It seemed like a way to write MJ out of the franchise, but Marvel spoiled Zendaya's MCU return last year. If "Spider-Man 4" starts filming later in 2024, it wouldn't wrap until the end of the year or potentially even some point in 2025, meaning the wait for more "Euphoria" would go even longer.

Rumors should always be taken with a grain of salt, and there are a lot of nebulous details in the InSneider post. For starters, "Spider-Man 4" still has no director. Justin Lin is mentioned as a possibility, but nothing's locked down. Sony will need a director onboard before a new Spider-Man movie begins filming. Any potential delay in "Spider-Man 4" could also result in a further delay for "Euphoria" if the crew needs to wait for Zendaya to become available. 

One might assume "Euphoria" Season 3 could attempt filming over the spring and summer so that Zendaya is free to film "Spider-Man 4" later. However, the InSneider article states, "['Euphoria' creator Sam] Levinson preferred not to rush into production this spring as he needed more time to write and he's been taking advantage of it." More time may be preferable, considering much of the cast outside of Zendaya has seen their popularity rise since the HBO series started. More time may be needed for the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, and Jacob Elordi to film new episodes.

"Euphoria" doesn't require the same level of VFX as a Spider-Man movie, so The InSneider concludes, "Look for Season 3 of Euphoria to begin shooting in early 2025. HBO could maybe get it out before the end of the year ... But HBO loves to premiere big shows in January, so the network could always hold it for the top of 2026." Levinson received backlash from fans for his "Euphoria" Season 3 description as having more noir vibes, so maybe extra time is essential for getting the new episodes just right.