For the first time in his 10-year journey as Spider-Man, Tom Holland was not just swinging through action scenes wearing a suit, he also helped in shaping the story. As the actor returns in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Holland revealed that he played a major creative role in the movie, even pitching one of its biggest ideas.
Holland first appeared as Peter Parker in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, officially joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He went on to star in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The ‘Spider-Puberty’ pitch that started it all
For the first time in his run as Spider-Man, Holland was invited into the creative process. “This is the first time in my tenure as Spider-Man that I was kind of welcomed into the writers' room,” he told Empire. He and the producers would “meet once every two weeks to pitch ideas and discuss our ambitions and what we wanted to try and do.”
One of those ideas ended up becoming a key part of the film. Holland came up with the concept of Peter Parker's powers evolving in strange and unexpected ways, something he gave a very memorable name. “My pitch when I came to the table with it was called ‘Spider-Puberty’,” he told Empire. “What happens if Peter Parker is losing control and things are changing?”
The studio did not love the name. "'Spider-Puberty' was my tagline pitch to the studio, which was immediately shot down," Holland said. "But they liked the kernel of the idea, and it grew into what we have in the movie now," per Empire.
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Is Tom Holland preparing the next era of Spider-Man?
Beyond Brand New Day, Holland is also thinking about what comes next and not just for himself but for the Spider-Man legacy as a whole.
Returning to the role nearly five years after Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland made clear he wants to help set up the next generation of web-slingers when the time eventually comes. “For whoever's next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter,” he said. “Whatever that looks like, I don't know. But if I could do what Downey did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset.”
What is Spider-Man: Brand New Day actually about?
Brand New Day will show a very different version of Peter Parker. After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Doctor Strange’s spell erased the world’s memory of Spider-Man’s real identity, Peter is now completely alone. His friends, including Zendaya’s MJ no longer remember him and he is now focusing fully on being Spider-Man.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige says this is the most comics-accurate version of Spider-Man the MCU has ever put on screen. “It is the first Spider-Man film that we've made in the MCU that is focused on the classic elements of Spider-Man,” he told Empire.
“He's doing the Spidey thing of living in a rather sad, small apartment, listening to the police scanner and going out and using his great power responsibly," he added.
Producer Amy Pascal also hinted that this film will feel different from previous Spider-Man blockbusters. “[Brand New Day] is a more internal movie,” she told Empire, "and the bigness of it is emotional, not worlds exploding."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The film stars Holland as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya as MJ, with Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink and Liza Colon-Zayas. It is set to hit cinemas on July 29, 2026.