Cinema has seen multiple iterations of Marvel Comics’ webslinger in several Spider-Man movies, but many fans have expressed favoritism toward the 2018 animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature, while not a huge box office success, proved to be so beloved that Sony would later try the same multiversal concept in live-action with the MCU hit Spider-Man: No Way Home in late 2021. By then, however, a Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 had already been in the works.
So, who joins Miles Morales on his next journey, who ran the show this time, and what more is there to know from this expansive web of information? Let us break down for you all the most essential facts about one of the best new superhero movies, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, starting with when fans could expect to finally see it.
What Is The Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Release Date?
Swinging into theaters on Friday, June 2, 2023, was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Talk of a sequel (and spin-off) to Sony Animation’s hit multidimensional comic book flick has been widely discussed since even before the December 2018 theatrical release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Yet, it would take nearly another year for the film’s official Twitter account to announce a release date for the then-untitled follow-up.
However, in response to the spread of Covid-19, the release date for what would initially be called Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) – more on that later – was delayed for the following October. That was until April 2022 rolled around and, after the (Part One) was dropped from the title – more on that later, too – the film was delayed once again before its release date was settled.
MOST RECENT TRAILER INTRODUCED MORE SPIDER-PEOPLE, HINTED AT MCU CONNECTION
Many new Spider-People can be seen in the most recent official trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which showed us a peek at the innerworkings of the Spider-Verse, which we were teased includes the MCU based on Miguel O'Hara's hint (before an A-list cameo confirmed it). Speaking of that version of Spidey circa 2099, it appears that conflict will be brewing between him and Miles Morales, whose own struggle to balance the superhero lifestyle with being a kid has been causing tension with his parents. See for yourself by checking out the teaser below:
The previous trailer for the sequel opened with a conversation between Miles and Rio, whose advice to her son narrated a collection of clips from the first film and the sequel that trace his journey from an average teen to a hero. From there, we got another montage that gave us one of our first hints at Miles and Miguel butting heads.
SHAMEIK MOORE AND HAILEE STEINFELD REPRISE THEIR ROLES
An epic ensemble of webslingers starred in the original film, many of whom will also return in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse voice cast. According to Sony, Shameik Moore comes back to voice Miles, Hailee Steinfeld reprises her role as Gwen Stacy, and former New Girl cast member Jake Johnson is comes back as Peter B. Parker as well.
According to Variety, Oscar Isaac – also part of the MCU as the lead of the Moon Knight cast – expands on his role as Miguel, who appeared in a funny post-credit scene, Academy Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry and former Dexter cast member Luna Lauren Velez, are also back as Miles’ parents, Jefferson Davis and Rio Morales, respectively.
ISSA RAE, DANIEL KALUYYA, AND MORE JOIN THE CAST
If you thought the variety of Spider-People from the first movie was vast, check out who joins in on the fun in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Sony confirmed that Emmy nominee Issa Rae voices Jessica Drew, who is better known as Spider-Woman, and Black Panther star and Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya stars as Spider-Punk, according to THR. Also according to THR, Karan Soni (best known as Dopinder in the Deadpool movies) voices an Indian version of Spidey named Pavitr Prabhakar.
Also new to the franchise are former SNL star Rachel Dratch as Miles’ school counselor (according to Deadline), and Shea Whigham (of both Agent Carter and Joker fame) as Gwen’s father, George Stacy (according to Collider). Also, EW reported that Jorma Taccone and Jason Schwartzman voice Spidey villains The Vulture and The Spot, respectively. Taccone is not the only Lonely Island member in the cast, however, as the hip-hop comedy group’s Instagram story (via TotalFilm) revealed Andy Samberg lends his voice a character that would be revealed in the film as Scarlet Spider.
THE SEQUEL EXPLORES THE FURTHER CORNERS OF THE MULTIVERSE AND GWEN AND MILES’ RELATIONSHIP
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse expands on its predecessor’s inventive incorporation of the Marvel Multiverse with the inclusion of more Spider-like heroes. Those who attended CinemaCon 2023 were treated with even more details about how the Spider-Verse works in a 15-minute clip shown during Sony’s presentation. For instance, the footage introduced the concept of a special watch that prevents interdimensional beings like Gwen from “glitching,” which was a high-stakes plot point of the first film.
The footage also provided deeper insight into the potential for Miles and Gwen’s relationship to blossom into something more than friendship – a development that is faithful to the characters' comic book counterparts. The sequel’s romantic storyline was previously confirmed in a Vanity Fair interview with Phil Lord and then-Sony chief Amy Pascal in 2018. Apparently, Miles and Gwen’s romance was included in Lord’s original draft of the first film’s screenplay, until it was cut to ensure the additional Spider-characters could share equal time in the spotlight.
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE IS HELMED BY THREE DIRECTORS
The honor of directing the Spider-Verse sequel was, once again, given to three people: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. This would be the first feature-length directing gig for Dos Santos and Thompson – who each boast an impressive career in animation otherwise – while Powers recently co-helmed the Oscar-winning Pixar film, Soul.
Into the Spider-Verse also had a trio of directors at the helm, made up of animation veterans Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey joined by Rodney Rothman, whose comedy career ranges from producing Forgetting Sarah Marshall to writing for David Letterman in the ‘90s. Yet, the movie is often thought of as a Lord and Miller movie – not just because of the inclusion of some of their own personal Easter Eggs, but because Lord has a screenwriting credit and also shares a producing credit with Miller, among others.
LORD AND MILLER RETURN TO CO-WRITE AND PRODUCE THE MOVIE
Miles Morales and co.’s latest adventure is, once again, written by the formidable duo collectively known as Lord and Miller. However, as Miller confirmed in a tweet, they were not alone, collaborating with co-writer David Callaham, who is known for penning live-action superhero movies like 2020’s DC sequel Wonder Woman 1984, and the MCU’s action-packed spectacle, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in 2021.
According to the sequel’s official website, Lord and Miller also retained producing credits, along with former Sony chairperson Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg (also known for producing movies like National Treasure and the animated Netflix series, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia), and Avi Arad, who produced the animated Spider-Man series in the ‘90s and several non-MCU Marvel movies since. Credited as executive producers of the film are Aditya Sood of the Deadpool movies, the aforementioned Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, and acclaimed comic book writer Brian Bendis.
A Third Spider-Verse Movie Is Also Already In The Works
As previously mentioned, when the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was first given an original title, it was referred to as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One), indicating that a Part Two was also to be expected. Based on how the film ends, it is clear that is still the case, but a couple of slight details would change as of April 2022.
Similar to how Avengers: Endgame was originally referred to as Avengers: Infinity War, Part II while in development, (Part One) was dropped from this sequel’s title and the official name for the third film was revealed as Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. That installment is currently set to come out less than a year after its predecessor, on March 29, 2024.
Some of the fun cameos in Across the Spider-Verse suggest to me that we may see Miles cross paths with Tom Holland's Peter Parker in another upcoming Marvel movie and, perhaps, that movie could be Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. I guess we will have to wait until the film's release date on our 2024 movie schedule to find out. Amy Pascal has, indeed, said that she is open to the possibility of the Spider-Verse canon officially crossing over with the MCU at some point and it certainly sounds like a tangled web worth weaving to me.
