Tom Holland has said he left Spider-Man: Brand New Day producers exasperated, as he continued to push for a movie pitch that would truly meet fan expectations.
Speaking to LADBible, Holland says he spent time “sifting through the internet” to discover what fans wanted from his fourth solo outing as Spider-Man, and used what he’d found in pitch meetings for the film, presumably with Sony bosses.
While Holland’s take on Spider-Man is beloved among Marvel moviegoers, Sony’s other Spider-adjacent offerings have often fallen wide of the mark. Additionally, Holland has also taken something of a break from playing the web-slinging hero in recent years, following the conclusion of his first trilogy as the fan-favorite character.
From 2016 to 2021, Holland played Peter Parker in six big budget Marvel movies in as many years, before taking a break to focus on other projects such as 2022’s Uncharted film and Christoper Nolan’s upcoming The Odyssey.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, due to launch July 31, 2026, will see Holland back in spandex for the first time in five years — with many audiences hoping to now see him feature in a more grounded story, following Peter Parker’s previous multiversal shenanigans and Avengers-level events.
“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,” Holland said. “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.
“I think the producers, at times were like, absolutely sick of me, but I think it’s really important,” he continued “because we make these movies for [the fans].”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has now begun filming, with scenes shot in public that featured Holland riding around the streets of Glasgow (standing in for New York) atop a tank. So far, Brand New Day does appear to be more of a grounded tale, with gritty Marvel TV character Frank Castle, The Punisher, also involved in proceedings, though there’s still much about the movie that’s being kept under wraps (such as who Stranger Things star Sadie Sink might be playing).
When asked how much further Holland, now 29, would continue playing the character he originally began portraying as a teengaer, the actor — once famous for leaking Marvel secrets — was decidedly more tight-lipped. “In terms of my future in the character beyond this film, I don’t know the answer to that,” he concluded. (And, as of yet, Holland is also still to be given an Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars call-up.)
IGN recently chatted to Holland about his near-unrecognisable appearance as multiple characters in a new LEGO short film, in which he plays an elderly version of himself, as well as a toddler and an angry executive. The star also recalled how he bonded with his Spider-Man: Homecoming sidekick Jacob Batalon, who plays Peter’s classmate Ned, while building a LEGO Death Star.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
