Hello, folks! I am still on vacation as we speak, but The Sunday Post must go on. It was a pretty busy and exciting week for Marvel Studios.

Quickly, before jumping into the news, here is a look at the upcoming Friends From Work podcast schedule:

• August 4th: Screensaver covers Superman. (FFW+)

• August 7th: San Diego Comic-Con debrief plus reflections on Eyes of Wakanda and additional thoughts on The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

• August 14th: Robby interviews legendary comic writer (and current writer of “Captain America”) Chip Zdarsky!

Now over to…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• By far, the biggest news of the week is that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in production (and less than a year away from its July 31st, 2026 release date). Sony and Marvel Studios celebrated by debuting Tom Holland’s new suit via a short video teaser.

• As if that wasn’t enough, The Hollywood Reporter corroborated multiple previous reports that Mark Ruffalo will be returning to play Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the movie. Michael Mando, last seen playing Scorpion in 2016’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, will also return.

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps was unable to avoid a substantial tumble at the box office in its second weekend of release, despite sterling reviews from critics and audiences alike. It is still projected to turn a profit for Marvel Studios, leading into next year’s two big tentpole movie events.

• Variety offered a look at the complex and changing landscape at the box office, which has yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly overseas. They also provided insight into Marvel’s future plans. According to their report, X-Men (directed by Jake Schreier) will begin casting soon. Marvel is holding a date in July 2027 for an untitled movie, but Variety’s sources do not believe X-Men will fill that slot. Variety also reports that the studio feels no sense of urgency to move ahead with a Blade reboot or an additional movie in the Deadpool franchise, but Black Panther 3 appears close to moving forward.

• All four episodes of Eyes of Wakanda are now available to stream on Disney+! The series is currently 90% fresh among critics at Rotten Tomatoes.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• While superhero movies are no longer the sure bet at the box office that they once were, animated sequels are the closest thing to a billion-dollar guarantee that exists in Hollywood right now. Zootopia 2 (new trailer above) looks to continue that hot streak for Disney later this year.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• With the Spider-Man: Brand New Day cast starting to fill out, it is still unknown what role Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) will play. Our source indicates she will be the primary villain in the movie and a shapeshifter.

Short and sweet. Thanks for reading. Please continue supporting the podcast and this newsletter on all social media platforms. Have a great week!

-Greg