Summary
- Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are rumored to direct Spider-Man 4, and have a proven track record after the success of Bad Boys 4.
- Their ability to blend emotional drama, humor, and action could bring a fresh perspective to the MCU timeline.
- Audiences have loved their work on Bad Boys and they have past history with the MCU after directing episodes of Ms. Marvel, making them strong contenders for the next directors of the Spider-Man franchise.
Marvel is still searching for a director for Spider-Man 4, but a rumored directing choice is making the case for themselves after a surprising 2024 box office hit. Jon Watts directed the Homecoming trilogy that recently ended with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy was wildly successful, with each film garnering critical acclaim and grossing over $3.8 billion. However, Watts will not return for further Spider-Man films, with Kevin Feige telling Cinemablend that the director is busy with other projects.
Whoever takes the reins of the Spider-Man franchise from Watts will face high expectations, but there are many suitable candidates who would be great for the upcoming Marvel movie. One rumored choice is Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directing team behind the first two episodes of Ms. Marvel. While they were also at the helm of DC’s infamous canceled Batgirl film, they have proven themselves as excellent directors, and should be considered for the job handling the MCU timeline after their latest accomplishment.
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Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Is A Surprise Hit Of The 2024 Summer Season
El Arbi and Fallah’s latest film is Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth film in the Bad Boys franchise. The film was released in June of this year and was a surprise hit, especially considering the slow start to the 2024 box office. It had a great opening weekend, grossing $56.5 million, and continued well throughout its theatrical run. Bad Boys 4‘s worldwide box office total is $388.3 million, having kept building off its opening weekend thanks to great word-of-mouth publicity.
The film has a 65% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 97% audience score. While critics gave it a decent score, audiences loved it, and its box office shows that people either watched it multiple times or told others to see it. Either way, Bad Boys 4 overperformed on its initial expectations, and was a welcome jumpstart to the box office before films like Inside Out 2.
Adil El Arbi And Bilall Fallah Showed Consistency After Bad Boys For Life
Bad Boys 4‘s success proved two important traits of Arbi and Fallah as directors. First, the pair can create consistently great films within a franchise. The directing duo also worked on 2020’s Bad Boys For Life, a box office hit before theaters shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film revitalized the Bad Boys franchise, grossing $426.5 million worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, Bad Boys For Life earned a 75% critic score and a 96% audience score. Bad Boys 4 proved the directors can recreate what audiences liked while finding fresh ways to move the franchise forward.
It also proved the directing duo could go into a franchise and inject it with new life. Bad Boys 3 was the first Bad Boys film since 2003, and the first that wasn’t directed by Michael Bay. Viewers tend to have concerns over new talent taking over a franchise, but they’ve proven twice that they were the perfect pair to bring the franchise into the modern film landscape. It’s unclear if Arbi and Fallah will return make more, but it seems almost for granted that audiences will return if they do.
What Arbi And Fallah Can Bring To The MCU’s Spider-Man 4
Arbi and Fallah have an excellent ability to blend emotional drama and comedy with adrenaline-fueled action. Their Bad Boys films have plenty of heart and humor but also feature the hard-hitting and exciting shootouts and fights that audiences expect. The directors also know how to create innovative action, such as Bad Boys 4‘s climax, which features a sequence from Will Smith’s perspective. While Watts successfully balanced humor and drama, his action scenes never popped, and Arbi and Fallah can improve upon that, especially if Spider-Man 4 has a darker, grittier tone.
A good sample of their work is already in the MCU in Ms. Marvel. While they only directed two episodes, it’s evident that they know how to add their own unique vision to Marvel, while staying within the pre-established tone and atmosphere. It could be a while before new information regarding Spider-Man 4 is shared, but Marvel should consider Arbi and Fallah for the director’s chair.
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
Spider-Man: Homecoming 4 is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.