“It’s focking Spider-Man,” isn’t something you would expect to hear in Glasgow. Even more rarely is it accurate. Yet, this August, that’s exactly what’s happening. The actual Spider-Man has been filmed swinging his way, building by building, through the city to a backdrop of military vehicles and police cars. It’s gotten the locals very excited.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth instalment in Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man series. The film sees Holland back as our spidery superhero for the first time since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. At this point in time, Spidey appears to be living alone in New York City as Peter Parker – at least until the city comes under some great threat – but the nature of said threat is under wraps, as you might expect. The film is slated for a summer 2026 release.
Filming is happening in Glasgow for a few reasons. There’s the handy combination of being much cheaper to film in than actual New York City, having a grid system like Manhattan’s and being a bit of an architectural chameleon – if you want a backdrop of Art Nouveau, it’s nae bother. Prime Victorian streets? Also fine. Hell, they can even give you Gothic and Medieval.
Slap a green and white “Franklin St” sign over Bothwell Street, plonk down a hot dog vendor, protrude the stars and stripes from large white and gold masts, and you have a convincing de facto lower Manhattan. In Bothwell Street’s case, which is a key location for filming, there’s even a real-life Starbucks. It’s a dream for Marvel, and the rest of Hollywood, which is why increasingly you’ll find them filming in the city. But how do the locals feel?
(Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)Andrew Milligan – PA Images/Getty Images
“It’s making work more difficult, both slower and more complicated,” says Asifa, who has been a taxi driver in the city for five years. “But it’s good fun for the city, and exciting that we’re increasingly part of these huge movies.” As she navigates the closed-off area to drop me near the action, a pretty irate delivery driver behind us slams his horn.
On the scene, things are happier. It’s an early August morning, and people are either enjoying the dry skies on their way to work or getting ready for a day of shopping. Some mill around for a few minutes enjoying the set, and then they get on with their day. But others are here specifically for the filming, even travelling in from nearby towns – children in Spider-Man costumes, keen adults in Marvel-branded t-shirts.