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Spider-Man: Brand New Day director reveals how the Insomniac games influenced his movie
Director Destin Daniel Cretton has discussed how the Insomniac Games Spider-Man titles helped shape the action in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth MCU Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland and the first he has directed after Jon Watts helmed the previous three. Speaking to Polygon after an early footage preview, Cretton explained that video game references, alongside the Spider-Verse films and prior live-action Spider-Man movies, were drawn on throughout production to find fresh ways of depicting the character on screen.
Cretton said he is not a gamer himself but relied on stunt team members who were "obsessive" players of the games; they would bring in screen grabs of their play to ask whether particular moves could be replicated physically. He also described looking at footage of wingsuiters and parkour athletes, including how they film themselves with GoPro cameras and selfie sticks, to inform the camera angles and lenses used for the film's high-speed webslinging sequences, meant to convey Spider-Man swinging at around 200 miles per hour. He additionally confirmed that a Shang-Chi crossover was discussed but ultimately dropped, and that New York City itself was treated as a central character in the film.
In short
- Cretton says Insomniac's Spider-Man games inspired Brand New Day's stunts
- Stunt team used game screen grabs to test replicable moves
- Wingsuit and parkour footage shaped the film's webslinging camera work
Explained simply
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to focus on Spider-Man, with Tom Holland continuing in the lead role. The film marks the first Spider-Man entry to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, succeeding Jon Watts, who directed the three previous entries.
When a director takes over an established franchise featuring a superhero, their approach to depicting the character and action can differ notably from their predecessors. New directors often explain the various sources they drew from when developing their vision, including previous films, other media, and increasingly, video games.
Video games based on superhero characters have become more sophisticated in recent years, and filmmakers sometimes study how these games portray movement, action and character abilities when developing live-action sequences. The Insomniac Spider-Man games are particularly noted for their detailed portrayal of Spider-Man's movement through New York City, making them a potential reference point for filmmakers developing Spider-Man films.
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