Tom Holland Says Spider-Man: Brand New Day Fixes No Way Home’s Biggest Flaw

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Is Fixing a Major No Way Home Flaw, Confirms Tom Holland

Tom Holland has revealed that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is going back to basics — and fans of the web-slinger will be glad to hear it. In a recent interview, the Spider-Man star shared that the upcoming MCU film will ditch the green screens and closed soundstages of its predecessor in favor of real-world filming, marking a major shift from 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

That threequel, while beloved and wildly successful (grossing nearly $2 billion), was filmed almost entirely on stages due to the pandemic. Holland described the experience as “really restricted,” noting that the team’s creative options were limited by safety protocols and COVID-era constraints.

Old-School Spider-Man Is Back

Speaking to Flip Your Wig, Holland explained that Brand New Day will return to the kind of practical location shooting seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming:

“We were really restricted with what we could do with the last movie because of COVID. We shot the entire thing on stages. Now, we’re really gonna lean into that old-school filmmaking and shoot in real locations… It’s gonna feel like making Homecoming again.”

That old-school feel will be captured partly in the streets of Glasgow, which will stand in for New York City in a major set piece already in production.

Why It Matters: Fixing No Way Home’s Green Screen Problem

Although No Way Home delivered multiversal mayhem and massive crowd-pleasing moments, many fans pointed out a lack of visual depth due to heavy reliance on CGI and The Volume — a digital background technology used by many post-pandemic productions.

Returning to real-world settings will help restore the tactile quality that made earlier Spider-Man entries feel grounded, even amid superhero spectacle. It also increases the likelihood of more emotionally resonant performances from actors actually sharing space on set, unlike the composited scenes in No Way Home where many actors filmed separately.

What We Know About Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Brand New Day is officially the second entry in Marvel Studios’ Phase 6 and serves as the next chapter in Peter Parker’s journey after the events of No Way Home. It stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Directed by Shang-Chi’s Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is set to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

Why Fans Should Be Excited

Aside from the production quality improvement, Brand New Day promises a more grounded narrative feel — emotionally and visually. With the multiverse potentially still in play and characters like Daredevil (Jon Bernthal’s Punisher) rumored to appear, the film could merge street-level grit with cosmic stakes, all while restoring the “friendly neighborhood” charm that fans first fell in love with.

Whether you’re a die-hard MCU follower or a lifelong Spidey fan, this return to realism could mark the beginning of a fresh and refined Spider-Man era.