{"id":732201,"date":"2026-08-09T05:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/732201\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T05:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:34:15","slug":"spider-man-brand-new-day-fight-scene-ties-to-jean-greys-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/732201\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider-Man: Brand New Day Fight Scene Ties to Jean Grey’s Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSPOILER ALERT:\u00a0This interview contains spoilers for \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day<\/a>,\u201d now playing in theaters.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs \u201cSpider-Man<\/a>: Brand New Day\u201d director Destin Daniel Cretton<\/a> delved deep into development, he spent time figuring out which villains would be most exciting to watch in an action sequence. \u201cBrand New Day\u201d has no shortage of villains, from The Scorpion (Michael Mando) and crime boss Tombstone (Marvin Jones) to Jean Grey (Sadie Sink<\/a>). One particular idea he had was to bring in The Hand, the mystical clan of ninja assassins.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat better foe to put him up against than a bunch of magic ninjas?\u201d Cretton asks<\/a> in a clip promoting the Sony\/Marvel blockbuster.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film\u2019s climax comes after Jean Grey is captured and detained by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), the same agency that kidnapped her sister, Sara (Olivia Booth-Ford). Tom Holland\u2019s Spider-Man rushes to rescue Jean and stop her from enacting revenge on William \u201cBill\u201d Metzger (Tramell Tillman), the director of the Department of Damage Control. There, he encounters The Hand, a group of magic ninjas controlled by the powerful mutant.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen crafting the film\u2019s action sequences, stunt designer Peng Zhang had one directive: keep the fight grounded. (Not literally \u2014 this is \u201cSpider-Man\u201d after all \u2014 but metaphorically.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThus, this particular fight scene combines Spider-Man using what Zhang describes as \u201calien technology,\u201d while The Hand uses traditional martial arts. And key to this face-off, Zhang explains, is that there are \u201c20 ninjas controlled by one person, so their movement, their fight, and their style needed to be united.\u201d With that idea as his foundation, Zhang built the rest of the fight around that notion. <\/p>\n

\n\tHis first inspiration came from a show he once sat through. \u201cAll the dancers played a peacock, and there were 20 of them. Together, they formed the peacock\u2019s wings,\u201d Zhang recalls. \u201cThat\u2019s how we started to choreograph this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe other Zhang leaned into was incorporating the essence of Jean Grey and the character\u2019s comic book ties to the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI started thinking, \u2018Let\u2019s make this fight feel like a bird \u2014 a Phoenix,\u2019\u201d Zhang says. \u201cSo, the central ninja would represent the head, and the ninjas on each side would represent the wings. We started building the formation around that concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThroughout the fight sequence, the Hand\u2019s choreography was anchored in that idea. \u201cWe kept thinking about the shape of the Phoenix and how the ninjas\u2019 movements needed to be unified. It\u2019s not just about them helping each other \u2014 they\u2019re united,\u201d Zhang says.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Sony Pictures<\/p>\n

\n\tZhang and Cretton also discussed the fighting style. \u201cWe wanted the fight to resonate with all audiences \u2014 Spider-Man video game fans, movie fans, animation fans,\u201d Zhang notes. We also wanted martial arts fans to appreciate it, so all the martial arts moves are real. Every ninja move needed to feel authentic, and the choreography had to be very attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Zhang didn\u2019t spend too much time prepping, shooting the scene proved to be its own challenge. The scene was shot on location at Dorchester Prison in Dorset, England. \u201cWe wanted to do it in the real location, so we spent a lot of time developing the rigging,\u201d Zhang says. But there was a catch. \u201cThe riggers couldn\u2019t even see the ninjas \u2014 they were on the other side of the jail, with concrete walls and bars in between. We had to install cameras for them to see what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe wirework added another layer of complexity to the sequence. \u201cThe wires had to be routed around bars and buildings. The longer the distance, the more delay there was in pulling, which made it a big challenge to shoot. But everyone was so good \u2014 the performers, riggers, everyone. We shot that scene for about 12 days or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tAnother challenge was that Holland performed many of the stunts himself, especially when Spider-Man\u2019s mask is off during that final battle.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re very lucky that Tom had already been trained for the last three movies. His physical background is excellent, so we didn\u2019t have to hold back,\u201d Zhang says. \u201cHe gave us the confidence to design complicated sequences for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tZhang points out one \u201cparticularly tricky\u201d shot where seven ninjas chase Spider-Man. \u201cHe jumps up, and it\u2019s all done in one long take,\u201d Zhang says. \u201c[Tom\u2019s] on a wire, along with the seven ninjas, and if one person messes up, the whole thing falls apart. Luckily, with Tom, he had no problem, and he helped us build the level of the action a lot higher than what we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n