As far as Marvel superheroes go, there are few quite as popular as Spider-Man. As such, there have been plenty of web slinging adventures on both the small and silver screens, with Tom Holland currently playing Peter Parker in the MCU. But Sony has its own rights to Spider-Man character, with Phil Miller and Chris Lord's animated feature Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse arriving in theaters shorty.
The upcoming blockbuster looks like a comic book fan's dreams, as a variety of Spider-Men (and women) unite as different dimensions begin colliding. Miles Morales is the film's star, but there are a dizzying amount of characters featured in the trailers. Co-director Phil Lord recently explained the research that went into having such an expansive set of characters, including sites like Wikipedia.
We wanted everyone to be canonical. We didn't want to make anything up, because we felt like it would feel like we had a Great Gazoo to the movie or something like Scrappy Doo. We wanted to make sure that they all were originating from the comic, so we just sort of went to Marvel Wiki and having read the books and some of the event crossover books, we thought that these were characters that were as diverse as possible [and] had as many different colors to them.
Just like the rest of us, it appears that Chris Miller and Phil Lord also utilize Wikipedia to look up comic book information. Since those pages are run by fans, and comic book fans are so dedicated, the information is usually legit. Of course, the directors also read the real comic books when crafting the complicated story of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
Phil Lord's comments to Fandango are refreshingly honest, and prove that those involved in making superhero movies are just regular people in the end. Lord and Chris Miller's unique perspective seems to be all over Into the Spider-Verse, which looks unlike anything we've seen from either the animated or comic book genres. Aside from the stunning visuals, the movie seems ambitious and self-aware, with an irreverent tone similar to that of Fox's new tentpole series Deadpool.
Anticipation and excitement over Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is at a fever pitch, with early reception for Phil Lord and Chris Miller's animated blockbuster overwhelmingly positive. What's more, Sony seems to be putting more eggs in that franchise's basket, with a sequel and an all-female spinoff starring Spider-Gwen already in the works.
So although Sony won't be able to include Spidey in its own live-action universe, the studio has found a way to utilize the friendly neighborhood hero in new way. The predicted success of Into The Spider-Verse is also significant considering Phil Lord and Chris Miller's departure from Solo: A Star Wars Story during filming.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will arrive in theaters on December 14th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
