Destin Daniel Cretton, director of the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has revealed that the Insomniac Games' PlayStation titles served as a notable influence on the movie's development. While not a gamer himself, Cretton immersed himself in the games with the help of his team.
"I am not a gamer, but I've played the game, but I surrounded myself with people who were obsessive gamers," Cretton told Polygon. "So a lot of the people in our stunt department loved playing those video games. So they would do screen grabs of their play and bring it in and say like, 'Can we pull this move off?' So that was a great inspiration for things."
The film's approach to webslinging and action sequences drew inspiration from various sources, including the athleticism of parkour athletes and the dynamic camera work often seen in GoPro footage. This was combined with visual references from the Spider-Verse animated films and previous Spider-Man live-action movies in an effort to present action that audiences haven't seen before.
New York City is also being treated as a central character in Brand New Day. Cretton and his department heads spent time walking the streets of the city to capture its essence, aiming to mirror the spirit of Spider-Man himself. The production design team, led by Charlie Wood, focused on intricate details to bring the city to life on screen.
While discussions about incorporating other Marvel characters, such as Shang-Chi, did occur, Cretton emphasized that every character's inclusion had to serve a clear narrative purpose. For now, any potential team-ups between Spider-Man and Shang-Chi will have to wait for future projects.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 31. The film is described as a natural evolution of the Spider-Man sub-franchise within the MCU, while also introducing a bold new style and tone.