With Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers stepping down, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has entered a new chapter known as the Multiverse Saga.
Related: Disney Wants to Rehire Marvel Leaders for Upcoming ‘Spider-Man 4’: Report
The tale of Queens native Peter Parker and the timeless lesson that “with great power comes great responsibility” is now widely recognized. Numerous actors have portrayed New York City’s beloved Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on screen, drawing from the rich Marvel Comics legacy crafted by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Spider-Man’s cinematic journey started with Tobey Maguire’s portrayal in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, which ran from 2002 to 2007 (and may see a revival soon). Andrew Garfield then took on the role in The Amazing Spider-Man series, beginning in 2012 and followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
Under Kevin Feige’s leadership, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has a unique collaboration with Sony, facilitated by parent company The Walt Disney Company.
Tom Holland is the latest actor to portray Peter Parker, encountering reimagined versions of classic characters like Aunt May, MJ, Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Wilson Fisk. Holland debuted in Marvel Studios’ MCU with Captain America: Civil War (2016), followed by the solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017.
But with the Multiverse Saga, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker isn’t the only version of the iconic web-slinger.
Sony Pulls Spider-Man Series
Related: Report: Disney Recasting Beloved MCU Hero Following Initial Performance
While Holland redefined the character in the MCU under Disney, another Spider-Man interpretation was being established to great success at Sony—the Spider-Verse franchise starring Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) from the Marvel Comics, beginning with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
Now, creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller have apparently gotten into something of a heated fight with Sony over their new Spider-Man franchise series Amazon’s Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, National Treasure, Ghost Rider) Spider-Noir/Noir, over budgeting reasons.
Phil Lord co-wrote the screenplay for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and served as a producer alongside Chris Miller, while both Lord and Miller were also producers for the follow-up Across the Spider-Verse.
According to Puck News, the Oscar winners who clinched the award withSpider-Verse, signed “a five-year, nine-figure TV deal with Sony Pictures Television in April 2019 with the goal of rebooting Spidey for television” — however, it looks like after Silk: Spider Society was scrapped, Spider-Noir will be their only work that will actually see the light of day debut.
The report from Puck News reads as follows:
The first show, Silk: Spider Society, from The Walking Dead’s Angela Kang, was scrapped in May after two years in development. And Amazon’s Nicolas Cage vehicle, Noir, has endured a heated fight over its budget. Sony is not expected to renew the deal, which did, however, deliver two seasons of another pricey show: the Apple TV+ anthology series The Afterparty.
Marvel’s Stan Lee is famous for saying that anyone can be Spider-Man. This idea was perhaps most vividly demonstrated in Amy Pascal, Christopher Miller, and Phil Lord’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
This vast “Spider-Verse” features a Multiversal web of Spider-People, including Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya), and Spider-Cat (Amanda Troop).
Leaving Las Vegas star Nicolas Cage, who played the black-and-white, smooth-talking Spider-Man variant Spider-Noir in Into the Spider-Verse (2018), is one of the many iconic “Spider-People” in the vast Marvel Multiverse. It is certainly unfortunate that the Spider-Noir show will likely be the duo’s last with Spider-Verse and the Spider-Man franchise owned by Sony.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are a creative duo known for their innovative storytelling, sharp humor, and success in both animation and live-action films. They gained recognition with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), 21 Jump Street (2012), and The LEGO Movie (2014).
Their work on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidified their reputation as pioneers in animation both within the industry and with general audiences, known for pushing boundaries and delivering fresh, engaging content.
A sour relationship with the arbiters of this fan-favorite intellectual property does not bode well for future Spidey projects.
Are you worried about the future of Spider-Man? Will you be watching Spider-Noir? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
