Tom Holland explains how The Odyssey “saved” the new Spider-Man

“It was a hard pill to swallow for Sony, I think in hindsight they are happy that it happened like that.”

Absent from the big screen for four years, and UnchartedTom Holland will be one of the stars of summer 2026. From July 15, we will find him in Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, in The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan. Then he will make his comeback in the weaver’s costume to Spider-Man: Brand New DayJuly 29. He filmed two blockbusters in a row, an experience which had a profound impact on the actor and transformed his vision of the profession.

In the latest issue of GQHolland talks about how his commitment to Christopher Nolan’s epic film forced Sony to postpone the release of the new Spider-Man after “a very uncomfortable conversation“A bad thing for a good thing, he assures, while Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) took the helm of the franchise, replacing Jon Watts, the director of the first three films.

“The Odyssey almost saved Spider-Man because otherwise we wouldn’t have had Destiny. He wouldn’t have been ready to make the film when we were ready to start. We wouldn’t have had the six-month period to develop the script with Destin and take it to where it is now. And I’m convinced that we made the best version of Spider-Man on film. So even though it was a hard pill to swallow for Sony, I think in hindsight they are happy that it happened like that.”

But the influence of The Odyssey on Spider-Man 4 don’t stop there. Experiencing the filming of a Christopher Nolan blockbuster opened Holland’s eyes to a different approach to making blockbuster cinema. And he used his power to change the way Spider-Man was prepared.

“I really had the opportunity to make my voice heard and say: ‘We are not going to arrive on set and find solutions. We need to know why we’re making this movie beyond the fact that it’s Spider-Man 4 and they’re making a ton of money and we’re going to have a huge summer. Why are we making this film?‘”

Holland says Cretton supported him in this approach and his calls with producers Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor to repeat: “Look, Chris does it like that. I think we should do it like this.”

An attitude which demonstrates that the star is still invested in the character, while he said in 2021: “If I’m still playing Spider-Man at 30, it’s because I’ve missed something“. Today he declares: “I think actually playing Spider-Man has been the greatest joy of my life. Now, I tell myself that I am ready to continue as long as they want me.”