Tom Holland Asked Sony to Delay Spider-Man: Brand New Day to Film The Odyssey

Tom Holland, who always seems to have about six different blockbusters on the go, has found himself in a bit of a scheduling pickle this year. He’s set to star in both Christopher Nolan’s massive new epic, The Odyssey, and the next big Spider-Man outing, Brand New Day. Not exactly small commitments, either of them. The Marvel machine, of course, is famously unforgiving with dates and timelines – but this time, Holland managed something you don’t see every day in Hollywood: he actually convinced a studio to budge.

A Rather Awkward Phone Call

In the latest GQ profile about Nolan’s The Odyssey – which, by the way, also stars Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson – Holland spilled a bit about how he managed to do both films. Turns out, he had to ring up Sony and essentially ask, 'Any chance you could wait a bit on Spider-Man for me?' As Holland put it:

"I said to Chris, like, 'Look, I want to do this movie, but if I’m going to do it, I’m going to have to call Sony and have a very uncomfortable conversation.'"

Not exactly the sort of chat most actors would relish – calling the people who pay you to say you’d rather do another film first. According to Holland, though, Sony actually came through for him, and it was Nolan’s reputation that helped seal the deal. Sony weren’t just being generous; they knew that with Nolan, they wouldn’t lose Holland for some unending director’s cut saga. Or, as Holland himself said, 'Any other director, it might have been a slightly different conversation.'

The Domino Effect: How an Ancient Epic Helped Spider-Man

Here’s where things get properly odd. The Odyssey ended up finishing ahead of schedule, which meant the delay on Spider-Man was actually a blessing in disguise. According to Holland, if things had proceeded as planned, they wouldn’t have got Destin Daniel Cretton (director of Marvel’s Shang-Chi), who was eventually brought in to helm Brand New Day. He reckons the six months gave them time to properly work on the script with Cretton and make the film, in his words, 'the best version of any Spider-Man movie going.' And Sony, after all their initial panic, seem rather chuffed with how it turned out.

What’s Going on in Brand New Day?

If you’re curious about this next chapter for Spidey, here’s what the official synopsis says. The story picks up four years after the last film (No Way Home), with Peter Parker now an adult, completely flying solo. He’s erased himself from the memories of everyone he loves (bit dramatic, even for him), and now he’s just Spider-Man all the time, living off the grid in New York. But – because nobody in these films gets a break – the stress of endless crime-fighting starts triggering some weird ‘physical evolution’ in him, while a string of unusual crimes leads to what’s being called one of his most powerful enemies ever.

The Cast and Crew

• Director: Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi)
• Writers: Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
• Peter Parker / Spider-Man: Tom Holland (naturally)
• Frank Castle / Punisher: Jon Bernthal
• Bruce Banner / Hulk: Mark Ruffalo
• MJ: Zendaya
• Ned Leeds: Jacob Batalon
• Mac Gargan / Scorpion: Michael Mando
• Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone: Marvin Jones III
• Others: Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Tramell Tillman in mysterious roles (your guess is as good as mine)

If you want to mark your calendar, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is due in cinemas on 31 July.