NEW MOVIES: July 30-Aug 5, 2026, “Spider-man: Brand New Day,” “The gentleman Thief,” “Jimmy: The Untold Story of Young James Baldwin,” “I Want Your Sex”

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a 2026 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man film series following Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo. In the film, Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.

Sony was developing a fourth MCU Spider-Man film by August 2019, and producer Amy Pascal revealed in November 2021 that it was intended to be the first in a new trilogy starring Holland. Work on the story began that December, with Holland more involved in development than he was for the previous films. McKenna and Sommers returned as writers by February 2023; Cretton was hired to direct by October 2024; and the title—derived from the 2008 comic book storyline “Brand New Day” that reset Spider-Man’s status quo—was announced in March 2025. The producers wanted Holland’s Parker to be a “proper Spider-Man” for the first time, on his own and fighting street-level crime in New York City. Ahead of filming, Bernthal and Ruffalo were revealed to be reprising their MCU roles of Frank Castle / Punisher and Bruce Banner / Hulk. Filming took place from August to December 2025, with location filming in Glasgow, Scotland, and throughout England. Soundstage work occurred at Pinewood Studios in England.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on July 27, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 31, 2026, as part of Phase Six of the MCU.

Following Dr. Stephen Strange‘s spell at the end of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world has forgotten that Peter Parker exists.^[2] Four years later, Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.^[3]

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:
  A former Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider.^[4] Following Dr. Stephen Strange‘s spell at the end of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the world has forgotten that Parker exists, and he is now focused on anonymously protecting New York City from street-level crime,^[2] with director Destin Daniel Cretton stating that Parker is “dedicating his entire existence” to being Spider-Man.^[5] Holland felt this was a unique and “profound” superhero story to tell and said Parker’s dedication to selflessness and sacrifice would have consequences for his personal life and health. He also said the film focuses on Parker’s search for identity as he transitions from youth to adulthood, and Holland took inspiration from his own journey into adulthood.^[6] The pressure of fighting crime full-time and seeing his former friends move on without him triggers an evolution in Parker’s superpowers,^[7] resulting in changes that include his eyes turning completely black as he temporarily loses control and becomes more aggressive;^[8] heightened senses; increased agility;^[9] and the ability to generate organic webs from his wrists instead of relying on mechanical web-shooters—similar to Tobey Maguire‘s portrayal of the character in Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man film series (2002–2007) and in No Way Home.^[10]
• Zendaya as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson:
  Parker’s former classmate and ex-girlfriend who is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with Ned Leeds,^[11] with whom she shares an apartment.^[12] MJ has a new love interest in the film, causing conflicting feelings for Parker.^[13]
• Sadie Sink^[14]
• Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds:
  Parker’s former best friend who is attending MIT with MJ.^[11] He has created an app called “Spidey Tracker” in the hopes of learning who Spider-Man is to thank him for saving Ned and his classmates while they were in high school.^[15][16][17] Batalon stated that Ned and MJ live “really great full lives” despite both feeling that “something’s kind of missing”, and added that the creation of the Spidey Tracker by the former is his way of finding the “missing link” between them and Spider-Man.^[18]
• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher:
  A vigilante who, following the brutal murder of his family, aims to fight the criminal underworld by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results are.^[19] The film follows Castle’s role in the Disney+ television special The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), which explores his “psychological state” going into Brand New Day;^[20] Bernthal stated that the character has essentially “sworn off human beings” by the start of the film.^[21] Castle operates from a houseboat named Golden Girl,^[22] built from a converted industrial barge, which serves as both a command center and a safe house.^[23] Producer Kevin Feige said the character would have a “different tonality” in the film compared to his previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appearances, which lean more into his violent actions than this film’s PG-13 rating would allow.^[24] Holland said the dynamic between Parker and Castle evolved as he and Bernthal improvised during filming, with their characters going from hating each other to developing a “big brother/little brother rivalry.”^[25] Holland also highlighted the similarities between Parker and Castle by stating that both characters are “going through the same thing,”^[21] which leads Castle to take on a mentor role for Parker, helping him cope with his troubled state of mind.^[26] Castle’s Battle Van from the comics is featured for the first time in live-action.^[11]
• Tramell Tillman as Bill Metzger:
  The head of the Department of Damage Control (DODC) who is policing superpowered individuals.^[27] Following a breakout at the DODC facility, Metzger enlists Spider-Man’s help in dealing with an invisible threat that only he can sense and to which he is immune thanks to his powers.^[28][29]
• Michael Mando as Mac Gargan / Scorpion:
  A criminal who wears a suit of armor equipped with a mechanized scorpion-like tail.^[30][31] He was previously captured by Spider-Man and arrested in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).^[32]
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:
  A founding Avenger and genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a muscular, green-skinned humanoid when enraged or agitated.^[32] Banner is now a professor at Empire State University (ESU), teaching quantum mechanics, and Parker turns to him for help regarding his evolving superpowers.^[10][11] Banner wears an inhibitor device to suppress the gamma radiation in his body and appear in his human form; this technology was introduced during the film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and explained in the television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022).^[33] After Banner successfully merged both sides of his personality into “Smart Hulk” in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), Brand New Day sees him regressing to his uncontrollable, destructive “Savage Hulk” persona, last seen in the film Avengers: Infinity War (2018).^[34][35]

Additionally, Marvin Jones III portrays Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone, a crime boss with albinism, near-indestructible skin, and superhuman strength;^[36] Eman Esfandi appears as a new boyfriend for MJ;^[13][16] Liza Colón-Zayas plays Jean DeWolff, a detective;^[37] and Zabryna Guevara reprises her role as Sheila Rivera from the MCU television series Daredevil: Born Again (2025–present).^[38] Florence Pugh is expected to reprise her MCU role as Yelena Belova from previous media,^[39] while Keith David has been cast in an undisclosed role.^[11] Other characters appearing in the film include Boomerang, Tarantula,^[31] and Ramrod,^[40] as well as the organization the Hand.^[31] Stunt performer and martial artist Fan Xiaoshuang appears as the leader of the Hand.^[41] Tony Revolori and Martin Starr appear in photographs as their respective MCU characters Flash Thompson and Roger Harrington.^[16]

The Gentleman Thief is a 2026 American action thriller film directed by Ives, written by Chris Sivertson, and starring John Travolta, Lukas Haas, Rebecca De Mornay, Sam Asghari, Quavo, and DJ Khaled. It is a sequel to High Rollers (2025).

Lured from retirement, master thief Mason Goddard must steal a priceless painting and outsmart a ruthless kingpin’s deadly trap.

The film was released on July 28, 2026.

• John Travolta as Mason Goddard
• Lukas Haas as Shawn Goddard
• Rebecca De Mornay
• Sam Asghari
• Quavo as Anton
• DJ Khaled

The movie opens at the luxurious home of Erika Tracy, a contemporary artist. Elliott emerges from the house and discovers the apparently lifeless body of Erika in the pool. Elliott drags the body from the pool and begins desperate attempts at resuscitation.

The movie flashes back 9½ weeks. Elliott is interviewing for the role of studio assistant in Erika’s studio. He is hired and assigned to work with Zap to chew gum that becomes part of one of Erika’s artworks. After Elliot’s first week, he is brought to Erika’s office, where she initiates a sexual relationship with Elliot, instructing him to crawl to her to show his submission. As the film shows the developing BDSM relationship between dominant Erika and submissive Elliot, we see detectives Zem and Zola in a flash-forward, questioning Elliot about Erika’s disappearance.

Elliot breaks up with his girlfriend Minerva because he is consumed by his ardor for Erika.

Erika asks Elliot to bring an additional person to one of their sexual encounters. He brings his best friend and roommate, Apple. Erika handcuffs Elliot to a piece of furniture while she starts to make out with Apple. Elliot’s behavior at the threesome appalls Apple, who asks him to move out.

Elliot moves in to Zap’s apartment, and they attend Erika’s exhibition opening. Erika contrives to start a fight with Elliot and has him ejected from the opening.

Erika summons Elliot to her house, and we see the opening scene play out again. Erika and Elliot drink champagne together, and Erika heads to the pool. When Elliot goes to join her, he finds Erika unconscious. He tries to resuscitate her and calls 911. From Zem and Zola, we learn that when the cops arrive, Erika has disappeared. Elliot explains that he passed out and has no idea what happened to the body. Zem and Zola are clearly skeptical of this explanation but release Elliot because there is no evidence that he has committed a crime.

Zap explains to Elliot that Erika’s studio was in financial trouble, but her apparent disappearance or death has caused the latest exhibition to sell out, rescuing the studio’s finances. Some time later, Erika reappears, visiting Elliot at Zap’s apartment. She explains that the disappearance was a hoax, intended to increase the value of her work. Erika was conscious while Elliot attempted to revive her but was faking unconsciousness. She had drugged Elliot with the champagne to ensure that he passed out so that she could escape from the scene. Elliot is furious, but Erika claims that the infamy associated with the hoax will provide him with a career boost.

The film jumps forward in time two years. Elliot is now a successful podcaster. He interviews Erika about a book she has written describing the hoax. Erika leaves with her new boyfriend Jesus but promises to stay in touch with Elliot.

The film jumps forward again to a time two years from the interview and four years after the hoax. Elliot and Erika are getting married. As Erika says “I do,” she and Elliot both wake up in separate beds as if from a nightmare.

• Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy, a renowned provocative artist and Elliot’s lover
• Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a naive young man who becomes Erika’s new assistant and muse
• Mason Gooding as Zap, Elliot’s co-worker
• Chase Sui Wonders as Apple, Elliot’s best friend and roommate
• Daveed Diggs as Vikktor, Erika’s business manager
• Charli XCX as Minerva, a graduate student and Elliot’s girlfriend
• Johnny Knoxville as Detective Zem, a police officer
• Margaret Cho as Detective Zola, a police officer
• Roxane Mesquida as Yvette
• James Duval