Even though Tom Holland already played Peter Parker in more films than any other actor, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a massive milestone. This is the first time a version of the wallcrawler will headline his fourth solo film. Both because of my job and my intense desire as a fan to know what’s happening, I’ve followed many of the leaks, set photos and even rumors from leakers with dubious track records. Yet a new interview with Tom Holland is what convinced me that Brand New Day could be the best Spider-Man movie of all time, giving fans everything they’ve wanted.
Since Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man debuted on my 22nd birthday, every single film featuring the Web-Head has been a gift. As a kid, I got my hands on what was alleged to be the script for the failed James Cameron Spider-Man movie. It may not have even been real, and the script is either buried in storage or lost to the ages. Still, I vividly remember finishing the script and shedding real boy-tears. Not because of the story, of course. Rather, I thought if the man who made Aliens and Terminator 2 couldn’t make a Spider-Man movie, we’d never get one. Thus, each film in live-action or animation with Spider-Man in the cast makes that chubby, sensitive nerd who lives in my heart very happy. Recent films like Into the Spider-Verse and No Way Home featured more than one variant of Spider-Man, and I adore them. However, while promoting a partnership with LEGO, Tom Holland spoke about his priorities ahead of filming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. What he said makes me think that this fourth film could “have it all.” Because as much as I’ve loved each Spider-Man movie, they’ve never quite captured the spirit of Spidey’s comic adventures.
Marvel Studios Often Looks Far Ahead, but Tom Holland Is Focused On Only His Film
Every film has plenty to love, even the one considered to be the worst Spider-Man movie of all time. What made Amazing Spider-Man 2 so disappointing had little to do with the story around Peter Parker himself. Rather, a convoluted plot involving his father Richard Parker (revealed to be alive in a deleted scene) and Norman Osborn sank the film. Reportedly, producers at Sony wanted to use that movie as a springboard for their own cinematic Spider-Verse. Forced non-sequitur teases to the villains of the Sinister Six didn’t excite viewers about the future. It made them lament it. It’s no surprise that after this film, Sony gave up and struck their unprecedented deal with Marvel Studios.
“I think with anything, it’s all about what’s in front of you, and right now what’s in front of us is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and focusing on making that movie worthy of the last film,” Tom Holland to LadBible
Of course, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe remember Harry Styles as Starfox, Brett Goldstein as Hercules or any other unrealized post-credit tease. Marvel Studios is not immune to focusing too much on setting up its future, sometimes at the cost of the film or series right in front of them. The rest of his MCU colleagues are traipsing around the globe with the Joe and Anthony Russo filming Avengers: Doomsday. So, while an appearance in that film is not impossible, it sounds like Holland, director Daniel Destin Cretton and the rest of the Brand New Day team aren’t looking to the multiverse. Rather, their focus is squarely on the reportedly “street-level” story in this new film.
Marvel Studios’ recent films have not achieved the massive financial success of their predecessors. This is not entirely the fault of creative quality or “fatigue” with the MCU or superheroes in general. Since the pandemic and the rise of streaming, the movie business has changed in ways even Hollywood experts don’t fully understand. Five years ago, the MCU’s continuation was, like Thanos, inevitable. Today, not so much. Therefore, focusing just on the film being made is an excellent strategy.
Tom Holland Wants to Consider What Other Fans Want from Spider-Man
Sometimes, I will read social media posts from other MCU fans in which they speculate, theorize or straight-up pitch storylines for future films. One need not read too many of them to realize that most of them aren’t great ideas in a larger narrative sense. I also don’t think that storytellers in these generational narrative universes need to cater to what they think fans want. Yet, like with Star Trek: Picard, sometimes the creators are themselves fans. That kind of “fan service” usually works because, while a cool idea, it ultimately serves the story they are telling.
“I have been actively sifting through the internet and trying to best understand what it is that the fans want from a Spider-Man movie, and that’s been my driving force in these pitch meetings,” Tom Holland to LadBible.
If the filmmakers behind Brand New Day went online to cherry-pick ideas pitched by fans over the years, it would likely be a very bad Spider-Man film. Yet there are useful ideas about what audiences want to see from a film that can be found in these same spaces, often when people talk about what disappointed them. As successful as the Marvel Studios Spider-Man movies have been, there are some legitimate concerns and complaints from fans that might hold valuable insight. Tom Holland was a fan of Spider-Man before he played him in the films, so he seemingly understands this.
From the advancements in visual effects technology that allowed incredible web-swinging sequences to Holland’s choice to play Peter with a Queens accent, his movies gave fans a lot they never had before. However, because both Marvel Studios and Sony needed the movies to be big, epic events, Spidey’s story was deeply entwined with other MCU heroes.
On one hand, this is also great, because Marvel fans wanted to see Spider-Man with the others on film, like in the comics. Yet the other side of that coin is that Spider-Man’s films aren’t able to capture the kind of “friend neighborhood Spider-Man” stories seen in the comics.
Brand New Day May Be His Last Spider-Man Film, So It Needs to Be a Worthy Finale
Holland’s last MCU film was almost Spider-Man: Far From Home when the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures seemingly fell apart. In fact, it’s been revealed that Tom Holland saved Spider-Man in the MCU, speaking to the leadership of both studios. The actor frequently expressed his desire to stay in the role, but he also said that when it ends, he will leave happy for having had the experience at all. Brand New Day could be that final solo film, since the details of that second agreement remain mostly secret.
“In terms of my future in the character beyond this film, I don’t know the answer to that.” Holland to LadBible
It’s safe to assume that Spider-Man will be a part of Avengers: Secret Wars, which is something the actor could never reveal. Yet, there are rumors that the film will reboot the MCU as fans know it. Given the lackluster box offices for recent films, that seems more and more likely. Holland would want to go out on a high note and give fans what they haven’t gotten yet. This is what makes me convinced that Brand New Day might just be the best film of his run. According to set photos, reports and rumors, the movie will feature several other MCU figures like the Punisher and Hulk.
Yet, if the filmmakers listened to Holland’s advice about fan desires, it would still probably be a mostly street-level film. As the films after Avengers: Endgame prove, it’s hard to top the spectacle of a massive battle and epic team-up. In No Way Home, Holland’s Spidey joined forces with Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s wallcrawlers. There’s no going “bigger” than that, so going “smaller” might be the answer.
A film that details Spider-Man protecting the people of New York, stopping crime, and saving lives is something the films have yet to adequately capture. If he can do that while still rubbing elbows with familiar MCU faces, Tom Holland could deliver a film that serves as a satisfying finale. Ironically, if he does, that’s probably the thing that will send Sony and Marvel Studios into a brand new deal to keep the dual-studio superhero party going a little longer.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently filming and will debut in theaters on July 31, 2026.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
- Director
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Destin Daniel Cretton
- Writers
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Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee
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Mark Ruffalo
Bruce Banner / Hulk
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Tom Holland
Spider-Man / Peter Parker
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Jon Bernthal
Frank Castle / The Punisher
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