As part of the Odyssey’s summer cover story, Tom Holland revealed to GQ that he had an “uncomfortable conversation” with Sony Pictures president Tom Rothman about delaying production on Spider-Man: Brand New Day in order to film Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster instead. When Nolan first offered him the role of Odysseus’ son Telemachus, both films had the same production start date.
“So I said to Chris, ‘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 awkward conversation,'” Holland recalled, noting that Sony agreed to move forward with the new Spider-Man movie out of respect for both himself and director Nolan.
“I think one of the reasons Sony was willing to move on is because Chris has this reputation of, ‘We’re not going to make this movie over five months and we’re not going to actually lose Tom for two years,'” Holland said, nodding to the fact that The Odyssey started on time and ended nine days early. “With any other director, the conversation might have been a little different.”
Holland told GQ that the postponement of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opens the door for Marvel movies, and that hiring Destin Daniel Cretton, director of “Shang-Chi,” to direct “Odyssey” was also beneficial for “Odyssey.”
“The Odyssey almost saved Spider-Man without Destin,” Holland said. “He wouldn’t have been ready to make the movie when we were gearing up. We wouldn’t have had the six-month period of developing the script with Destin to get it to where it is now. And I truly believe we made the best version of all the Spider-Man movies that are currently in the works. So it was a tough pill for Sony to swallow, but in hindsight, I think they’re very grateful that it happened.”
Seeing Nolan’s work led Holland to give his opinion on how Marvel projects should be run.
Holland said this allowed him to “lay the law” on the Spider-Man set, saying, “‘We’re not going to come on set and figure it out. We need to know why we’re making this movie beyond the fact that we’re making a lot of money on Spider-Man 4. We’re just going to have a big summer. Why are we making this movie?” And Destin was very instrumental in that, but it was really great to constantly call the studio and (producers) Amy (Pascal) and Rachel (O’Connor), who I love, and be like, “Well, Chris is doing it this way.” This is how we think it should be done. ” ”
Despite the gap between the films, “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are currently gearing up for back-to-back theatrical releases in the summer. Nolan’s film will be released on July 17th, followed by the comic book movie on July 31st.
“It feels like the next chapter of my life is starting,” Holland said of the release of both films. “I feel like I’m really a young man now. I have a lot of great things happening in my personal life that will take me through the rest of my life. And I feel like I have a new perspective on how I want to exist within Hollywood.”
Visit GQ Magazine’s website to read “The Odyssey” summer cover story in full.
