Looks Like Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Biggest Risk Is Paying Off
“It feels different this time.”
By the time Tom Holland returns to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, five years will have passed since his last outing as New York’s native webslinger. But if the first looks from Marvel are anything to go on, the wait will definitely be worth it.
Brand New Day just began production in the U.K., and Marvel has been sharing plenty of much-needed updates. Not only has Holland’s new Spider-Man suit been revealed in full, but the actor also took fans through his first day back on set after Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“It feels different this time, somehow,” Holland admitted, and for good reason. There are a lot of differences between Brand New Day and Marvel’s three previous Spider-Man entries. As Holland points out, it’s rare to see a Marvel project shooting any place where fans can watch from the sidelines. Brand New Day is taking something of a risk by diverging from Marvel’s typical secrecy and closed sets — but like the appointment of a new director in Destin Daniel Cretton, it already seems to be paying off.
Cretton has quickly become one of Marvel’s go-to directors. With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he established a new look and tone in the MCU, and that one film has since paved the way for a handful of projects. Cretton was once attached to direct the next big team-up film, Avengers: Doomsday. Though Anthony and Joe Russo have since taken on that project, Cretton’s moved on to helm the upcoming Wonder Man series and Brand New Day.
It’s certainly exciting to see Cretton take on one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes, but he does have big shoes to fill. He’s taking over for Jon Watts, who directed all three Spider-Man films in the MCU. Watts brought a lighthearted tone and plenty of Gen-Z-inspired humor to the franchise: with Spider-Man: Homecoming, it finally felt like Marvel was rolling out the red carpet for a new generation. That said, after eight years and a waning focus on Spider-Man himself, the saga is long overdue for a refresh.
There’s no telling what direction Cretton plans to take Spider-Man in, but what little we’ve seen of Brand New Day is already inspiring confidence. The character feels totally reborn, as does Holland, who just a few years ago seemed ready to hang up the suit for good. The upcoming film is poised to give the actor, and audiences, the fresh slate we’ve all been craving, and Cretton’s appointment may have a lot to do with that change.
