Tom Holland says his pitch for the next Spider-Man film began as “Spider-Puberty,” a rejected idea that still helped shape Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In an interview published Thursday, Holland said he was welcomed into the writers’ room for the first time in his run as Spider-Man and asked what would happen if Peter Parker were losing control as things around him changed.
“My pitch when I came to the table with it was called ‘Spider-Puberty.’ What happens if Peter Parker is losing control and things are changing?” Holland said. The studio quickly shot down the tagline, but he said it liked the core of the idea, which grew into what is in the movie now. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters July 31.
The remarks matter because Holland has spent the last five years away from the Spider-Man role, after starring in Spider-Man: No Way Home alongside Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. That film closed one chapter of Peter Parker’s story, and the new one begins with Peter in a different place: everyone has forgotten who he is. Holland’s comments suggest the next film will lean into that reset rather than simply repeat what came before.
Holland also said he would like to help prepare the next person to wear the suit. “For whoever’s next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter,” he said. “Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what Downey did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset.”
That leaves the most important question not about Holland’s pitch, but about his exit. It is still unclear where Spider-Man: Brand New Day will leave Peter Parker, even as Holland is expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars in some capacity. What is clear is that Holland is already talking like someone who sees both his own finish line and the handoff beyond it.
