Tom Holland has been quietly planning who picks up the Spider-Man mask after him — and the groundwork has been running for nearly five years.

Speaking on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Holland said a succession plan for the Spider-Man franchise has been in development since he finished Spider-Man: No Way Home (Variety). That places the starting point around 2021, when No Way Home was in production.

Holland is not done with the role himself. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, opens in theatres on 31 July 2026 — tomorrow, by the calendar — with Holland reprising Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon and Jon Bernthal (Sony Pictures; Marvel). Marvel released the film's full official trailer in March and a final trailer focused on Peter Parker's journey on 21 July (Marvel, March 2026; Marvel, July 2026).

But Holland has been thinking past himself. During the Brand New Day press tour, he told the Associated Press directly: he has a "desire to bring Miles Morales to the screen" (Variety). Morales, for anyone who has not met him, is the teenager who becomes Spider-Man in Marvel's alternate-universe "Ultimate" comics line — a fan-favourite character already central to Sony's animated Spider-Verse films.

Earlier in 2026, Holland told Empire magazine that he would love to help set up that next chapter, whether the successor turns out to be Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen or Spider-Woman (Variety). In other words, the plan is not pinned to one character yet — but it is pinned to the idea that Holland himself wants a hand in the handover.

Sony's animated Spider-Verse franchise, which features Morales as its lead, is set to conclude with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in the summer of 2026 (Variety). That places the animated Morales storyline's finale in the same corridor as Holland's live-action Brand New Day release — a moment where both sides of the Spider-Man screen presence are moving simultaneously.

For fans, the appeal is straightforward. Holland has carried the live-action Spider-Man since 2016's Captain America: Civil War. The prospect of him shepherding a new web-slinger — rather than simply walking away — is the kind of franchise transition that gets planned years in advance precisely because it carries so much commercial weight. Replacing a lead in a billion-dollar film series is not a decision made over a weekend.

No casting, title or release date for a Miles Morales live-action film has been announced. Holland's comments across three outlets — the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the AP and Empire — confirm the conversation is real and ongoing, but nothing has been locked beyond intention.