Spider-Man: Brand New Day has webbed up a considerable amount of success since its release on the 2026 movie schedule this past July. The Destin Daniel Cretton-directed superhero flick has not only broken box office records but also earned acclaim from critics. What’s also notable about this particular flick is that lead actor Tom Holland contributed a significant amount of ideas compared to his previous Spidey flicks. Still, I wasn’t expecting him to cite The Lego Batman Movie when explaining one of his pitches.
Much of Brand New Day centers on Holland’s web-slinger being heralded by the people of New York due to his success in combating crime in the city. However, as Peter Parker, he lives a relatively isolated life following the ending of 2021’s No Way Home, in which the world forgets who he is. That ultimately causes Peter to become depressed, especially when he sees the full lives his former friends – MJ and Ned – are living. As Holland explained, this was something that was greatly informed by Lego Batman:
I think, again, that's this the scale of the movie is, you know, the juxtaposition between the life that people think Spider-Man is living and the life that Peter Parker is actually living. Something that I always really loved from a superhero movie is The Lego Batman Movie when they talk about like he must be going home with — having parties with all of his friends and dating supermodels and all this sort of stuff, and then it cuts to him like in his house alone.
Chris McKay’s Lego Movie spinoff sees the Dark Knight earning serious praise from the citizens of Gotham City, who assume he’s living it up with celebrities in super models in his spare time. In reality, the Bat goes home to an empty cave and has a deep sense of loneliness that he initially tries to deny. While the film makes fun of Batman at times, it’s also quite sentimental. While I’ll admit that I wouldn’t have immediately pegged the funny flick as an inspiration for Brand New Day, it makes sense. Holland also said this about his pitch:
And I do remember sending that in to Destin, being like, ‘This is a great little thing for us. We should do something like this.’ And I just think that it creates a lot of layers, and people are going to yearn for Peter Parker to make some life changes so that he can find happiness and peace and love. It's just whether or not he will make those choices.
The Lego Batman Movie was very well reviewed and, quite frankly, it’s just a fun film. I love that it now has a small creative link to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise. Also, kudos to Holland for finding varied sources of inspiration for his new movie. I’d say it all paid off, given the position responses to Brand New Day. Of course, there’s also now talk regarding what the future may hold. While a fifth film is far from confirmed at this point, Sony head honcho Tom Rothman suggests the future could be bright.
Now, a high bar has been set by Brand New Day, since it deftly balances the superhero thrills with the grounded character elements. And I love that we can thank Lego Batman for (inadvertently) contributing to that approach. McKay’s movie deserves its flowers, and this new revelation from Tom Holland serves as a small, but neat, addition to its legacy.
Check out Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is currently playing in theaters nationwide. Also, grab an HBO Max subscription and stream The Lego Batman Movie now.
