If you’re familiar with Tom Holland’s Spider-man and his era of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, then you’d know that Spider-man’s (also known as Peter Parker) best friend is Ned Leeds, played by none other than Jacob Batalon. Batalon is a Hawaiin native that played next to lead Spider-man actor Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-man films. Batalon achieved international recognition playing Ned Leeds in five Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Batalon started with a supporting role in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, he made cameos in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
As Spider-man enters his next phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Tom Holland is set to reprise his role as Peter Parker, it will be interesting to see if any of the supporting cast from the 5 previous films will be brought into the next era. When we last saw Spider-man, Doctor Strange had cast a spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker was, including Peter’s friends. In an interview a few days ago with ComicBook.com at the press junket for his up-and-coming movie Tarot, Batalon stated, "I honestly don't know... what any future holds for any of them in that world (MCU). I just feel like if things happen, they happen. I hope so. I definitely hope so. It's sad that he has no friends anymore."
Batalon is currently set to star in horror film Tarot alongside Harriet Slater, Avantika Vandanapu, and Wolfgang Novogratz. According IMDB.com, when a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings, they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death.
Sony is set to release Tarot in US theatres in a few days on May 3, 2024. You can check out the official trailer below.