The Odyssey "almost saved" Spider-Man: Brand New Day, says Tom Holland

“Look, I want to do this movie, but if I’m going to do it, I’m going to have to call Sony and have a very uncomfortable conversation,” Holland recalls telling Nolan, which he then did. Sony was ultimately willing to push the Brand New Day production dates. “I think one of the reasons why Sony were happy to move is because Chris has that reputation of ‘This movie isn’t going to go five months over, and we aren’t actually going to lose Tom for two years,'” Holland shared. 

The delay in production ultimately proved to be a good thing for Spider-Man, Holland argues. “The Odyssey almost saved Spider-Man because we wouldn’t have had Destin [Daniel Cretton],” he says, referring to the director of the upcoming Marvel movie. “He wouldn’t have been ready to make the movie when we were ready to go. We wouldn’t have had the six-month period to develop the script with Destin to get it to a place where it is now. And I truly believe that we’ve made the best version of any Spider-Man movie going. So while it was a tough pill to swallow for Sony, I think in hindsight, they’re very grateful that it happened.” 

Holland also shared in the profile that he took some of Nolan’s diligence back to the Spider-Man set. “I think coming from the Marvel space, and I think this will upset Marvel a little bit—his level of preparation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” says Holland of Nolan. When he returned to Spider-Man, “I was really able to lay down the law and say, ‘We are not going to come to set and figure it out,'” continues Holland. “‘We need to know why we are making this movie beyond the fact that it’s Spider-Man 4 and they make loads of money and we’re going to just have a big summer. Why are we making this movie?'” The answer, of course, is to explore Peter Parker’s pituitary gland.