Spider-Man: Brand New Day is finally taking shape ahead of its release in theaters next July, and we now have some rumoured new details courtesy of scooper Daniel Richtman.
It's no secret that the movie will deal with the aftermath of Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Peter Parker living in a world where no one remembers who he is. It probably won't surprise you to learn that the movie will have a darker tone, with Richtman comparing it to Kraven's Last Hunt.
The presence of characters like The Punisher and The Hulk has led fans to question whether this is going to be a dark, street-level adventure or another Avengers-adjacent blockbuster, and it seems it will be more the former than the latter.
Richtman emphasises that by pointing out that The Punisher will be his usual murderous, psychotic self, wielding advanced weaponry that helps him deal with threats like Spider-Man and the Green Goliath (including his new tank). Sure, there's likely to be a little less blood than Daredevil: Born Again, but Frank Castle clearly isn't being watered down for a PG-13 rating.
It's also said that while Scorpion has a prominent role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he is not the movie's main villain.
Finally, Zendaya isn't expected to shoot scenes as Zendaya in Glasgow, Scotland, and while her part is important, her screentime isn't expected to be particularly substantial. What that means for Peter's romance with MJ isn't clear, especially with Sadie Sink's mystery character in play.
Last December, longtime Spider-Man franchise producer Amy Pascal said, "We're starting shooting the next Spider-Man movie with Destin Daniel Cretton. He's a wonderful director. I love No Mercy, I love Short Term 12, I love Shang-Chi. I think he did a wonderful job."
When it was put it to her that No Way Home felt like the perfect send-off for the web-slinger, Pascal responded, "Well, we have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker."
"And he was going to focus on being Spider-Man because being Peter Parker was too hard," she teased. "That's what the movie is about."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shares a title with a controversial era of storytelling, which, thanks to a deal with Mephisto, saw the wall-crawler get a fresh start when his marriage to Mary Jane Watson ended and his identity became secret again. He faced many new sinister foes during that time and was surrounded by an overhauled supporting cast, including a resurrected Harry Osborn.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer Destin Daniel Cretton directs Spider-Man: Brand New Day from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland leads a cast that also includes Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Michael Mando, and Liza Colón-Zayas.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on July 31, 2026.