Holland credits Jackie Chan's team for new 'Spider-Man' action

Tom Holland recalled meeting Chinese action star Jackie Chan on the set of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and credited Chan's stunt team with lifting the film's action to a new level, as he and Zendaya arrived in Shanghai on July 24 to promote the superhero blockbuster.

Actors Tom Holland and Zendaya pose in front of the city skyline in Shanghai, July 24, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment]

"It was incredibly exciting and a huge undertaking and a huge challenge," the actor said of the film's action scenes. "We had a wonderful stunt team who came from China to the U.K. to train me up and to bring these fight scenes to life. And I think when you get to sit through the entire movie, you will see a new level of action."

Zhang Peng, a stunt performer and fight choreographer with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, served as the film's main stunt coordinator, according to previous reports.

Holland said he was surprised to meet Chan himself. "I was on set, and we were shooting, and I heard rumblings that Jackie Chan was visiting. I turned around, and there he was. It was so exciting to meet such an icon, someone I've been a fan of for such a long time. And he gave me a great vote of confidence," he said.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, "Brand New Day" opens in Chinese theaters July 29, two days ahead of its North American release.

The film picks up after "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which ended with a spell erasing Peter Parker from the memories of everyone who knew him. He now lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.

Tom Holland and Zendaya unveil a special poster inspired by the Chinese mythological figure Nezha at a theater in Shanghai, July 24, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment]

Sony Pictures Entertainment screened 26 minutes of exclusive footage for Chinese media and fans in Shanghai that day, the first time the material had been shown anywhere in the world.

The preview revealed a markedly different tone and a darker direction, introducing a lonely and troubled Peter Parker who is older and more inward-looking as he struggles through a difficult stretch of his life.

"I think at the 26th minute is where it all starts to go really crazy," Holland said. "It takes us to a much darker place. I think Peter Parker has always been someone who is so filled with optimism, and now you meet him and he is lost. He doesn't know where he belongs, he doesn't know who he is, and it's having a drastic impact on his life."

Zendaya added, without giving away spoilers: "It's a very different dynamic. Obviously we get to see Ned and MJ are happy, and they have this new life that they've started. They're out of college. They have moved back to the city... As a fan of Peter Parker, I always want him to have a happy ending, but I don't know, guys — it's not looking good."

Tom Holland and Zendaya pose with the audience in a packed theater for a promotional event in Shanghai, July 24, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment]

The film will screen in IMAX in China, the world's largest IMAX market with more than 800 screens, an option unavailable in most other markets. It set a franchise pre-sales record in the country, with IMAX pre-sales reaching 6.8 million yuan and accounting for more than 50% of the total in the first 72 hours.

"I love going to see movies in IMAX. It really is the best way to watch movies, especially movies like this," Holland said. "I think something that our director really wanted to do was to create this sense of vertigo when he's jumping off buildings and flying towards the ground. There's no better way to see a movie and feel that inertia, feel the wind, feel the fear than watching it in IMAX."

"No Way Home" grossed $1.92 billion worldwide in 2021. Pre-sales for the new film are running strong in North America and other markets, and in China they had passed 70 million yuan as of July 27.