If there are two people moviegoers will find difficult to avoid in the summer of 2026, they are Tom Holland and Zendaya. After starring together in Christopher Nolan’s much-discussed “The Odyssey,” they will return at the end of the month, on July 31, with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the fourth film in which Holland will wear the Spider-Man suit.
For the pair, who are now married off-screen, the film also marks a return to the franchise that made them international stars and served as the starting point of their love story.
The new film’s plot remains shrouded in secrecy. Marvel and Sony have once again worked to keep every detail under wraps, and only a handful of people have seen the completed movie ahead of its release.
At an international press panel held ahead of the launch, which Ynet also attended, none of the participants dared reveal any significant plot details. Even Holland, who is known for his accidental spoilers, managed to complete the assignment successfully. What did repeatedly come up during the conversation was Peter Parker’s condition and the question of where audiences will find him after he lost everyone he knew.
At the end of the previous film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Peter chose to sacrifice the life he had known and asked Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to erase his existence from the memory of the entire world. His friends, his first love and the people closest to him continue with their lives without knowing who he is, while Peter remains the only person carrying the memory of everything he lost.
“I think we meet Peter Parker at the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life,” Holland said. “For me, the thing I love most about the movie is that it serves as a kind of warning about the dangers of living alone, without a community and without friends. One of the lessons Peter learned in the previous movie is that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is ask for help. But he ignores that advice, and it has a profound effect on his life as a person.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer
(Video: Courtesy of Forum Film)
As Spider-Man, however, Peter is thriving. “At the beginning of the film, we probably meet the purest version of what Spider-Man represents for New York,” Holland continued. “The collision between those two worlds was fascinating for us as actors: standing in the spotlight, then returning to a small, run-down apartment in New York and taking a pill for a headache.
“The scenes in which we see him on Instagram felt especially true to what many young people experience today. I loved that we were discussing these issues within a film of this scale.”
‘A feeling that something is missing’
If “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ended with Peter Parker alone in a world where nobody remembers who he is, “Brand New Day” begins in precisely that place. For producer Amy Pascal, who has accompanied Spider-Man projects for two decades, that was also the creative decision that shaped the entire film.
‘Everything begins with Peter and everything stems from him.’ From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
(Photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)
“At the end of the previous movie, we put ourselves in a very difficult position,” Pascal said. “The previous three films were about people discovering who Spider-Man was, and that made his life different from the one we usually know.
“So we decided to make things even harder for him and return him to a place where nobody knows who he is, because that has always been the character’s central dilemma. After a movie like ‘No Way Home,’ there is a tendency to want to make the next movie even bigger. But together with the director, we decided to go in the opposite direction and make a smaller, more intimate film about the life of one person. Everything begins with Peter and everything comes from him. We always tried to do that in the Spider-Man films, but I think this time we truly succeeded.”
For director Destin Daniel Cretton, known for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the film’s title itself captures its spirit.
“A brand new day is something Peter still does not know how to experience at the beginning of the movie,” he explained. “I think it represents what he longs for deep inside. During this journey, Peter, as well as many of the other characters, will each discover in their own way what a new day and a new beginning mean.”
The people most affected by Peter’s decision, without knowing it at all, are the love of his life, MJ, played by Zendaya, whose character’s full name is Michelle Jones-Watson, and his best friend, Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon.
On the surface, their lives appear to have continued normally, but both feel that something is missing, even if they cannot explain what it is. “Unfortunately for Peter, Ned and MJ are living good, full lives,” Zendaya said.
“But they both also have this feeling that something is missing. They are trying to understand what the missing link is between them and Spider-Man. “For example, why does he always save them? Is he following them? Or does he simply really like their vibe?”
Zendaya said that the fact that the characters do not remember Peter made working on the film more interesting, almost like an acting exercise. “We said to ourselves, ‘Let’s play the scene as though we have never met, as though we genuinely do not know each other,’” she said.
“It was fun to explore what their lives looked like without Peter, and also to think that, from their perspective, he never existed, even though he clearly affected their lives. “It means something that they are all still friends and living in New York.”
‘Peter is one of those characters you simply can’t help but love.’ From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
(Photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)
“In the previous films, MJ was always the pessimist and Peter was the optimist,” Zendaya continued. “Now it is interesting to see that reversal. Because he is alone, he has adopted her pessimism, while she has adopted his optimism without even knowing where it came from. “Clearly, something is still there. We are always rooting for him and hoping for the best for him, because Peter is one of those characters you simply cannot help loving.
“You want him to make the right decisions. In the previous movie, the other Spider-Men warned him about what could happen, and I think in many ways this film deals precisely with the things they warned him about. “So I’m rooting for him,” she said with a smile.
‘Much of our on-screen relationship was born off-camera’
One of the major points of interest in “Brand New Day” is the Punisher’s first appearance in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. For comic-book readers, the encounter is a natural one. Frank Castle became one of Marvel’s most recognizable characters over the years, but he originally made his debut as an enemy of Spider-Man.
‘The best thing about this profession, without question, is the people you meet along the way.’ From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
(Photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)
For Jon Bernthal, who returns as Castle, entering the Marvel world again also meant reuniting with Holland, whom he knew long before the two became the faces of two of the studio’s most popular heroes.
The two met in 2015 on the set of “Pilgrimage,” while both were in the middle of auditioning for their Marvel roles, and they have remained close friends ever since. “The best thing about this profession, without question, is the people you meet along the way,” Bernthal said.
“Tom is at the top of that list for me. I met him when he was 17, a kid completely determined to get this role. I had never seen anyone with the level of focus, dedication and belief that he had. He got the part, and I watched from the sidelines as his life changed because of this incredible franchise, how many people love him and how he became the person he is today.
“Then to stand beside him again on set after all of that had already happened, and remember the little room in Ireland where we filmed audition tapes together, as well as the ridiculous hairstyle he had at the time, was simply incredible.”
“The amazing thing is that I got the part at all after auditioning with that hairstyle,” Holland joked. “That only proves how talented you are,” Bernthal replied.
‘I’m very protective of Frank, Punisher fans and what he represents.’ Jon Bernthal
(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Alongside the excitement, Bernthal acknowledged that taking part in the film also brought real concern and hesitation over how a character such as Frank Castle could fit into Spider-Man’s world. “I’m very protective of Frank, of Punisher fans and of what he represents,” he said. “It was a real question for me, and to the credit of Destin, Amy, Kevin, Tom and everyone sitting here, it was also a question they were seriously considering.
“I think that in art, when you reach the heart of a problem, you do not try to avoid it or run away from it. When you treat the audience with respect and understand that they will ask the same question, you can arrive at something genuinely good.
“We tried to make it believable that the Punisher could step out of one of his TV-MA series, intended for a more mature audience, and enter this world, and vice versa, while also respecting the tone Destin created for the film.”
Holland agreed with Bernthal and said the relationship between Spider-Man and the Punisher was built largely from their personal friendship, making it feel more authentic and natural to him. “One of the things I love most about working with Destin is how collaborative he is as a director,” Holland said. “He does not look only at what you do in front of the camera, but also at how you conduct yourself behind it.
“He knew Jon and I were close friends, and much of our on-screen relationship was born from those moments off-camera. There was a lot of improvisation between us that eventually found its way into the movie, and I have to say that improvising with Jon is always a pleasure. He is so good at it, and we had so much fun. We laughed constantly. Luckily, I was wearing the mask most of the time because there were many occasions when I simply burst out laughing while he was acting.
‘We laughed nonstop. Luckily, I was wearing the mask most of the time.’ From Spider-Man: Brand New Day
(Photo: Courtesy of Forum Film)
“It was also a real challenge to find a way to bring a character intended for adults into our world. It was important to all of us not to compromise Frank or the Punisher in any way, and I think Destin handled that tonal transition brilliantly. I cannot wait for people to see the relationship between Spider-Man and Frank.”
The meeting between the Punisher and Spider-Man is not the only intriguing collaboration awaiting fans. As the promotional material has already suggested, Spider-Man will also meet the Hulk. “The Hulk and Spider-Man have been an iconic pair since the days of the comics,” Cretton said. "When you put Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo in the same scene, something simply explodes.
“And surprisingly, it also becomes very intimate. They are two top-tier actors, and what I did not understand until we began filming was that when you film the Hulk, you are actually filming Mark and Tom acting together.
“They improvise and bring life to every moment, and my job was very easy. All they had to do was imagine that Mark was not wearing that ridiculous suit.
“On the other hand, Tom was also wearing tights, so ultimately it was simply two men in tights,” he joked. “It is a very strange experience,” Holland added. “If there were a mirror on set and you could see what you were actually doing, you would realize it requires complete commitment.
“I remember standing on a box while Mark held a giant green hand, and I pretended it was choking me while he also performed the character’s voice. There were moments when I simply said to myself, ‘I have to trust the process,’” he said with a laugh.
Mark Ruffalo
(Photo: Getty Images)
Alongside Ruffalo and Bernthal, Sink, known for “Stranger Things” and “The Whale,” also joins the cast, although the identity of her character is being kept completely secret.
Apart from those on the panel, who were careful not to reveal anything, nobody knows whom she is playing, and the internet is already filled with fan theories. “I did not receive the script for a long time,” Sink said. “But I spoke extensively with Destin about the character, so I had a good idea of where things were going.
“It is a pretty big secret that I have been sitting on for a long time. I’m a huge Spider-Man fan, especially of Tom’s Spider-Man movies, so it feels very surreal to be joining them. But I cannot say anything more than that.”
Pascal was willing to add only a little about the character. “Sadie’s character is going through the same thing that every character in this movie is going through,” she said. “They are all dealing with loneliness, with feeling different, with alienation and with denial about the lives they are living.
“Because of the way Destin built the movie, Frank, Sadie’s character, MJ, Ned and Banner all essentially have the same problem. That is why it was not difficult for her to fit into this world.”
“We always set a very high bar when we bring in new actors,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige added. “We had the beginning of an idea for a story, and we were considering several different characters who could fit into it. The person who pointed us in the right direction was our co-producer, Emily Fong, who said, ‘Sadie Sink could play this character.’ Destin had already worked with her, and at that moment we all looked at one another and said, ‘Yes. It has to be her, and it has to be this character.’ So there was no audition.”
Sadie Sink
(Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
“That must be very nice,” Holland interjected with a smile, turning to Sink. “I think I went through seven auditions.”
‘New York is a character in this film just like every actor sitting here’
It is impossible to talk about Spider-Man without talking about New York. After the creators of the previous three Spider-Man films sought to place him primarily within the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time the goal was to return him first and foremost to the city most closely associated with him.
“In our first three MCU Spider-Man films, we focused heavily on the fact that he was part of the shared universe because the five Spider-Man films before them did not have the opportunity to do that,” Feige said. “One of the things that makes ‘Brand New Day’ truly feel like a new day is the focus on Peter and New York.
“In the first films, we deliberately avoided filming him swinging between the city’s skyscrapers because that had already been done extensively in the past. Now 10 years have passed, and that idea feels exciting again. The video games also raised the bar in terms of action, and I think Destin managed to meet it and even surpass it. It is also a moment that allows comic-book fans to finally see Spider-Man and the Hulk together, something I never dared dream would be possible.”
For Holland, however, New York is first and foremost about the people. “It is probably one of the best cities in the world for simply sitting and watching people,” he said. For Spider-Man to be one of those people, part of that community, is an amazing thing.
מתוך "ספיידרמן: יום חדש"
(צילום: באדיבות פורום פילם)
“Our production designer, Charles Wood, who I think is responsible for some of the best production design I have ever seen, built four complete New York streets at Pinewood Studios in London. You would walk onto the set and simply forget where you were.”
Feige added that the streets built at the studio gave Cretton greater freedom to create New York as he imagined it. “They allowed him to bring New York to life in a way that can usually only be done when you are actually there,” he said. With the cars, the extras and the streets we built, the entire texture and unique culture of New York were simply there. New York is a character in this movie just as much as anyone sitting here, and it was important to treat it with the respect it deserves.”
“I had a special moment connected both to New York and to the studio,” Holland said. “My younger brother, Paddy, worked in the film’s art department. Before filming began, we would come in often for rehearsals, and I would see him working with the crew. He would chew gum, spit it onto the pavement, step on it, take another piece and do the same thing. Then he would go around with a utility knife and scrape the road markings. It was unbelievable. The level of authenticity was simply fantastic.”
Nearly a decade after first putting on the Spider-Man suit, Holland was asked what the character means to him today and what he would like to say to the fans who have followed him from the beginning.
Tom Holland
(Photo: Aurore Marechal/Getty Images)
“The truth is that my passion and love for these films have only grown every time I have been lucky enough to put the suit on again,” he said. “The bond that formed between Jacob, Zendaya and me, three young people whose lives changed on the first day we stepped onto the set, is something for which I will always be grateful.
“Sharing the screen with the new actors is a great privilege. And the fans, I think we would all agree, are part of this process just as much as we are. We make these films for them, and we listen to them. There is now an entire generation of young movie fans around the world.
“They have wonderful ideas and are so passionate, and we share that same passion with them. For me, being the lucky kid who stands on the stage and represents that passion is a gift I will never take for granted. I’m so proud of this film, and I’m so proud of Destin, who arrived at a fairly frightening moment for the franchise and saved us. And I also have to say something about Sadie,” Holland concluded.
“She had a difficult task: joining a huge film with a family that already existed. She fit in perfectly. She is a professional who gives a wonderful performance. The emotion, professionalism and heart she brings are exactly what this movie needed. She is a breath of fresh air. There is something new and unique about her, something we have not seen before in a Spider-Man movie. To me, she is an unsung hero because she simply cannot talk about anything,” he said with a smile.