Film executives are famously careful about what they say in public when it comes to new superhero movies, and Sony is no exception, especially when it comes to their flagship Spider-Man franchise. So, when Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman casually revealed that he’d already seen footage from the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day and then went on to hype it this hard, my ears immediately perked up. All in all, I really like what I’m hearing.
In a clip shared by Variety on X, Rothman confirmed he hasn’t seen a complete cut of the upcoming Marvel movie yet, but he has seen all the dailies from the 2026 movie release, which is arguably more telling at this stage. He explained:
No, we haven’t seen a cut yet. I’ve seen all the dailies, and I think it’s gonna be one of the most surprising and terrific movies, as a movie, and an incredible Spider-Man movie. And Destin has done a tremendous job, tremendous.
That’s a lot of confidence for a film that’s still shrouded in a lot of mystery and currently hasn't had an official trailer or teaser released. The Sony head honcho isn’t just praising the spectacle or the box office potential. Instead, he’s emphasizing that it stands on its own and works as a movie. That distinction feels like a deliberate choice of words, especially in a superhero movie landscape that has been bogged down by interconnectivity. I'm hoping these comments suggest something more character-forward, more intentional, and maybe a little less formulaic than recent Spidey outings.
Destin Daniel Cretton stepping in as director for the 4th Spider-Man movie in the Sony/Marvel collab of flicks is still a bit of a wild card for some fans. That's especially true coming off his work on Shang-Chi and his brief association with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (which is now subtitled Doomsday).
Still, the Sony CEO going out of his way to single Cretton out feels intentional. This sounds like a director-driven webhead movie, not just a MCU assembly-line project set to tie into Marvel’s larger Multiversal saga and lead up to Doomsday. And, if Rothman is already impressed by dailies, that could mean performance, tone, and storytelling are landing early, which is very encouraging.
Just when the conversation seemed to be turning toward actual spoilers, the film exec did what studio heads do best: deflect. When asked about whether or not this would mark Tom Holland’s last outing as everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, as the actor has been hinting at, Rothman laughed it off and said:
Next time Tom’s in the line, ask him.
It’s a playful dodge from the Sony chairman, but it may also be quietly revealing. Tom Holland has long been the emotional anchor of the “Home” trilogy, yet he’s recently hinted that his future as Spider-Man isn’t guaranteed. Rothman’s confidence suggests he’s happy with Holland’s work here, but whether the actor sticks around beyond Brand New Day may ultimately come down to Holland himself and how this next chapter performs.
Studio hype should always be taken with a grain of salt, but this doesn’t feel like empty marketing chatter. Rothman isn’t promising the “biggest” or “most epic” Spider-Man ever. He’s calling it surprising, and that’s the part that sticks out to me. If Brand New Day really is leaning into something more grounded and emotionally driven, that would be a genuine shake-up at this stage of the franchise.
We’ll know more once a trailer drops but, for now, a Sony exec casually praising dailies feels like a good sign for longtime fans. I’ll take that kind of optimism wherever I can get it.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
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