English actor Tom Holland revealed he had an “uncomfortable conversation” with Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman to push back the production of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ so he could join filmmaker Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic ‘The Odyssey’. The 29-year-old actor, who plays Odysseus' son Telemachus in Nolan's adaptation, said both films had originally been slated to begin shooting on identical dates.

The uncomfortable call to Sony

Speaking to GQ magazine, Holland recounted his pitch to Nolan, saying, “So I said to Chris like, ‘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'.” The actor noted that Sony eventually agreed to move the Marvel tentpole out of respect for both him and Nolan.

Why Sony said yes

Holland attributed the studio's willingness to Nolan's track record of disciplined schedules. “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',” he said, as reported by Variety. True to form, ‘The Odyssey' reportedly began on schedule and wrapped nine days early. “Any other director, it might have been a slightly different conversation,” Holland added.

How the delay reshaped 'Spider-Man'

The actor argued that the postponement ultimately benefited the web-slinger franchise, opening the door for ‘Shang-Chi' filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton to take the directing reins on ‘Brand New Day'. “‘The Odyssey' almost saved ‘Spider-Man' because we wouldn't have had Destin. He wouldn't have been ready to make the movie when we were ready to go,” Holland said. He credited the resulting six-month script development window with Cretton for sharpening the film, adding, “I truly believe that we've made the best version of any ‘Spider-Man' movie going.”

A creative ripple effect

Holland also suggested that observing Nolan's set discipline emboldened him to assert himself more on his Marvel production. The actor described the original conversation with Sony as “a tough pill to swallow,” but said the studio is now “very grateful that it happened.” The episode underlines the rare leverage star-director pairings command in scheduling Hollywood's biggest tentpoles.

What's next

‘The Odyssey', a reported globe-spanning retelling of Homer's epic, is being positioned as one of Nolan's most ambitious projects post-‘Oppenheimer'. ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day', meanwhile, moves forward under Cretton with Holland reprising the title role. Release timelines for both films will be closely watched by exhibitors banking on a marquee 2026 slate.