Tom Holland, star of the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has revealed that finishing moves from Sony's Spider-Man video games directly influenced the combat choreography in the movie. Holland and director Destin Daniel Cretton shared these insights at the film's premiere.
Holland, who has played Insomniac's Spider-Man games, stated that these stylish takedowns were a significant source of inspiration. He mentioned that he was playing the game the night before the premiere to unwind and reflect on the film's debut, emphasizing how much the game's action influenced the movie's approach. "For me, a lot of those finishing moves, a lot of our stuff was influenced by that stuff," Holland told IGN.
Cretton further elaborated that many of the film's stunt performers were also fans of the games. These crew members would bring screenshots of specific moves from the games into the writers' room, seeking to translate the digital action into practical effects for the film. "A lot of the action designers and stunt people we had were huge gamers," Cretton explained. "They were able to experience things in those games that made them excited, and they would just screengrab the moves they really liked and bring them into the writers’ room and show it to me. And then we’d be like, ‘Yeah, that’s sick. Let’s try to figure out how to do that for real.’"
This is not the first time Holland has expressed his admiration for Insomniac's Spider-Man titles; he previously shared with IGN Benelux that both he and his wife, Zendaya, are significant fans of the games.
In honor of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's release, Sony has added Tom Holland's suit from the movie into Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Additionally, players will receive a second suit inspired by Peter Parker's appearance in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. This marks the second collaboration between Sony and the fighting game series, following the earlier confirmation that Marvel's Wolverine will also feature a Tokon-inspired suit.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to release on Friday, July 31. Industry projections suggest it could achieve one of the biggest opening weekends of 2026, with estimates ranging from $180-$190 million domestically, and more optimistic predictions reaching $230-$250 million.
IGN's review of the film awarded it a 7 out of 10. Critic Tom Jorgensen noted that the movie "effectively refocuses on the most reliable pillars of the webslinger: swinging around NYC saving the day and looking cool while doing so," though he also observed that at times, "Peter’s inner turmoil ...sometimes leaves the 'brand new day' of the title feeling like Groundhog Day."