Tom Holland and Zendaya walked the white carpet in London this week for the premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest chapter in the Marvel franchise that has dominated North American box offices for a decade.
The couple met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, with Holland playing Peter Parker opposite Zendaya's MJ. Over the past decade fans have seen the two characters fall in love on-screen, with the Hollywood couple mirroring the relationship off-screen as Holland confirmed earlier this year that the pair are now married after months of speculation.
The new film follows Peter as he navigates his new life four years on from the events of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw a spell cast to make the world forget his real identity in order to save the universe. That means his romance with MJ and his friendship with Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, have also been totally erased from civilians' minds, leaving a lonely Peter to continue his crime-fighting in secret while his friends experience life at university.
A calmer Peter Parker
Speaking through a roar of cheers at the London premiere, Holland told reporters: "I think Zendaya always just brings me an unbelievable sense of calm, even in the midst of all of this craziness and travelling the world and making these movies and sometimes being really overwhelmed, that's what happens when you're a human being. No-one calms me down better than she does."
The film takes a more solemn tone than some previous entries, a decision Holland said was made to show Peter through a more vulnerable lens. He said: "What makes Peter Parker so special is that he's a human person, and I think that what people love about him is that they can relate to him, and they see themselves in him, and they aspire to be like him. So for us to tackle real-life issues like being young, feeling like you're alone, being stuck in this digital age where everything happens, all of our connections happen on the phone, we wanted to find a way to personify that and bring it to the big screen."
Canadian audiences have made every Holland-led Spider-Man film a blockbuster, with each sequel grossing well over a billion dollars worldwide. The actor first played the character in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and became the youngest actor to headline a Marvel Cinematic Universe film the following year.
Expanded universe
The upcoming film also stars Sadie Sink from Stranger Things, whose character has been kept secret, as well as Mark Ruffalo reprising his role as Dr Bruce Banner. Peter also meets people from his past, including Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, The Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, and Michael Mando's Scorpion, while he manages the threat of a new mysterious villain.
Holland wore a burgundy suit with a metal spider brooch on his tie. Zendaya wore a couture ivory Tamara Ralph gown featuring a sculpted bodice and mermaid tail draped in delicate crystal threads to mimic the gossamer strands of a spider's web. A golden spider brooch sat at the base of her spine and mirrored a similar piece on Holland's tie.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in Canadian and U.S. theatres this summer.