Benedict Cumberbatch has praised Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts, calling him a "genius." Spider-Man: No Way Home will be the fourth film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Eternals theaters just over a month later on December 17, 2021. The film will star returning players Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Holland) is trying to handle having his secret identity exposed and asks Doctor Strange to use a spell to reverse the reveal, accidentally unleashing the multiverse on themselves in the process. This involves his world colliding with figures from the previous iterations of Spider-Man, including Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx's Electro. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are also rumored to be appearing alongside the return of Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin.

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Speaking with Variety, Cumberbatch talked about his time on the set of No Way Home. He praised director Jon Watts (who has helmed all three Holland Spider-Man films), calling him a "genius," saying he has a "light touch," and yet is "so assured." He notes that the Spider-Man cast and crew is a "bonded group" after making three movies together and that he "really, really enjoyed being on that set." Read the full quote here:

It's gonna be a great film, I think. I think Jon Watts is a genius, all that team was on those three films are vastly brilliant.

Jon is great, he's got such a light touch, he's so assured though. He's great to hang out with on set… He's very witty, but incredibly generous and supportive. Everything you want in a director. He's young, he's energetic, he gets the kids - I call myself an 'older person' to the older people... It's an atmosphere on that set. It's a bonded group, they've done three [Spider-Man films] now, beautiful work environment. I really really enjoyed being on that set, I really did.

For fox sake mug in Spider Man No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home is likely to be very important in setting up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will be the next MCU Phase 4 film and the first in 2022. The title of Doctor Strange 2 (which Cumberbatch has called "the most ambitious standalone superhero film ever made") implies that the film will be dealing with the consequences of Doctor Strange's actions in this film, so it's extremely good news that Cumberbatch trusts Jon Watts so implicitly to tell this important part of his character's story. Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi previously directed the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, making the connection between these two films even stronger.

As evidenced by Peter calling upon him for such a big favor, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man have built a close relationship through their interactions in the previous Avengers films. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic continues in Spider-Man: No Way Home or if it will be strained by the chaos they accidentally unleash together. The holiday movie season is right around the corner, so luckily these questions will be answered very soon.

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Source: Variety

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