Tom Holland already has a vision for Spider-Man 5. The Spider-Man star has portrayed Peter Parker in what will soon be seven Marvel Studios films following the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In that time, Holland has climbed his way from supporting player to leading man and is now taking a more active role in the creative development of his Spider-Man films, and he might already have ideas for the next one.
Outside of Spider-Man, Holland also appears in the 2026 summer blockbuster The Odyssey, and his experience filming the Christopher Nolan epic provided the actor with some life lessons. As reported by Games Radar, Holland shared at a press day for The Odyssey that he hopes his future Spider-Man films can become more practical, as he's been inspired by how Christopher Nolan "keep[s] things in camera". Holland added that witnessing Nolan's process showed him this practicality was "very simple" and just requires "forward thinking and planning:"
"[Christopher Nolan]'s desire to be practical and to keep things in camera creates an atmosphere on-set which really inspires people to be creative and think outside the box. There are things I saw on this movie which I've never seen before and they're very simple. It just requires forward thinking and planning."
The Spider-Man movies, like most Marvel Studios superhero films, have long relied on visual effects to pull off their heroics. In comparison, The Odyssey, despite being a mythological epic, has very little reliance on CGI.
Holland elaborated on his desires for the next Spider-Man movie, revealing he hopes they can be "more practical," and "[find] ways to make people believe what they're watching is real:"
"I come from the kind of superhero space, which I absolutely adore. I love playing [Spider-Man]. I think there are things that we could do in the future that can improve those movies by being more practical and finding ways to make people believe that what they're watching is real."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already kicked off a new era for the MCU's Spider-Man, involving a new director, Destin Daniel Cretton, and picking up with Peter Parker in a new stage of his life as he goes through college in New York City, where no one remembers him. Holland hinted that the start of this next trilogy has already involved some more practical elements, confirming they "made a real suit," and "did real stunts," but not to the extent of something like The Odyssey.
Some of this practicality didn't go unnoticed during the production of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Glasgow, which featured a complex moving rig that allowed a stunt performer to physically swing through the streets as Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in cinemas on July 31st.
Spider-Man 5 Should Take a Page Out of The Odyssey's Playbook
Throughout his various Marvel appearances, Holland's role as Spider-Man has relied heavily on VFX, including a fully CGI suit in some cases. Additionally, many of the set pieces, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home's Statue of Liberty fight, are filmed on sound stages with green screens (something which was also rectified in Spider-Man: Brand New Day).
However, things are already starting to change with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As mentioned, the film was shot using real suits and practical sets during production, further adding to that realism. With Holland's work on The Odyssey now in the rearview, he may push for things to be even more practical on Spider-Man 5.
The Odyssey's penchant for practical set pieces is what the film is being revered for, even before its release, and if Spider-Man 5 can take a page from its book, it could further enhance the experience fans have with Spider-Man in the cinema. Superhero films have long relied on VFX, so Spider-Man 5 going hard in the other direction could make it stand out in the landscape for its practicality.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day expected to mark the start of a new trilogy for Holland's web-slinger, the actor's push for practicality may be something Sony and Marvel follow through on.
