Tom Holland pitched some ideas for Spider-Man: Brand New Day that would’ve pushed the film into body horror.
In a new interview with Josh Horowitz, Holland noted that he was brought into the writer’s room for Brand New Day and allowed to pitch ideas. Early on, the creative team explored the idea of Peter Parker reckoning with his powers evolving via organic webs, sharpened senses, and heightened strength and aggression. Holland initially wanted to take it a bit further, though.
“At one point, I was like, ‘What if he had fangs that come out of his hands and he had venom spikes at one point…’ and that is not in the movie, don’t worry. And we explored the nightmare sequences of him waking up as the Man-Spider and very quickly we were like, ‘We do want children to enjoy this movie as well as adults, it’s a little bit too creepy!'”
Holland noted that sometimes you have to explore bad ideas to find good ones and figure out what makes the most sense, as well. In a separate interview, Holland noted that the film evolved a lot through post-production, stating that he outright “hated” an early cut of the film that was forged by feedback from a test screening.
As for the actual ideas pitched by Holland, Man-Spider could’ve been an interesting concept, particularly if it’s part of some kind of nightmare sequence and would’ve fit within the themes of the film. In other Spider-Man media, Peter Parker transforms into an actual giant spider but loses almost all of his humanity in the process. He also has a row with The Punisher while in this form, which would’ve worked nicely given Jon Bernthal reprises his role as Marvel’s violent vigilante in Brand New Day.
Ultimately, though, not every idea is right for every story. Maybe one day we’ll see Man-Spider in live action, but it seems unlikely given Holland believes it may be too extreme for younger audiences.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
