Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed one of the real-world inspirations behind the film’s web-swinging action.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Cretton said the production team studied online footage recorded by wingsuit flyers and parkour athletes while developing Spider-Man’s movement through New York City.

“We were able to now look at YouTube footage of wingsuiters and parkourers and analyze what angles make your heart drop, that make you feel like you’re right there with them,” Cretton said.

The first-person perspective offered by GoPro footage helped the filmmakers examine how camera placement, speed and height can make an action sequence feel more immediate.

Rather than presenting Spider-Man’s movement only through distant computer-generated shots, the team wanted audiences to experience the momentum and danger of swinging alongside him.

The approach fits the production’s wider focus on practical action. Behind-the-scenes footage has shown Tom Holland performing stunts on location while Spider-Man moves through streets filled with vehicles, explosions and large-scale set pieces.

Cretton previously described the movie’s opening sequence as an exciting combination of practical stunt work and street-level action. Holland has also said the production captured more stunts in-camera than the previous films.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes place four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter Parker is now living alone in a world that no longer remembers his identity and has dedicated himself to protecting New York full-time.

Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Mando, Sadie Sink and Tramell Tillman.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens exclusively in theaters on July 31, 2026.