Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an upcoming American computer-animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the sequel to "" (2018) and is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the "Spider-Verse". The film is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson from a screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham. Shameik Moore voices Morales, starring alongside Oscar Isaac, Hailee  Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Brian Tyree Henry, and Luna Lauren Vélez. Sony began developing a sequel to "Into the Spider-Verse" before that film's release in 2018, with the writing and directing team attached. It was set to focus on the relationship between Morales and Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman. The film was officially announced in November 2019 and animation work began in June 2020. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 2, 2023, delayed from an initial April 2022 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A  third film, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse", is set to be released in March 2024. A female-focused spin-off film is also in development. Premise. Miles Morales / Spider-Man goes on an adventure across the multiverse with Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman and a new team of Spider-People who must face a powerful villain. Cast. Rachel Dratch voices the principal at Morales's school. Additionally, the character Takuya Yamashiro (also known as the "Japanese Spider-Man") from the 1978 "Spider-Man" series will appear in the film. Production. Development. By the end of November 2018, ahead of the  release of "" the next month, Sony Pictures Animation had begun development on a sequel to the film, due to the "incredible buzz" surrounding the project. The sequel was set to continue the story of Shameik Moore's Miles Morales / Spider-Man, working from "seeds [that were] planted" throughout the first film. Joaquim Dos Santos and David Callaham were set to direct and write the film, respectively, with Amy Pascal returning from the first film as producer. The other producers of the first film—Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Avi Arad, and Christina Steinberg—were all also expected to return for the  sequel in some capacity. The next month, Pascal revealed that the film would focus on Morales and Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman, exploring a romance between the two characters that had been cut from the first film. She added that the sequel would serve as a "launching pad" for a previously announced female-focused spin-off film starring Steinfeld. Sony officially confirmed the sequel in November 2019, setting a release date of April 8, 2022. Lord and Miller were confirmed to be returning as producers. When making changes to its film schedule in April 2020, due to the  COVID-19 pandemic, Sony shifted the film's release to October 7, 2022. In February 2021, Miller revealed that he and Lord were working on the film's screenplay with Callaham and said Peter Ramsey would serve as an executive producer on the sequel after co-directing the first film. That April, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson were announced as co-directors of the sequel alongside Dos Santos, with all three having been working on the project since it started development. Thompson had previously served as production designer on the first film. Additionally, Arad and Steinberg were both confirmed to  be returning as producers alongside Lord, Miller, and Pascal, with Alonzo Ruvalcaba co-producing and Aditya Sood executive producing alongside Ramsey. In December, Lord and Miller revealed that the film was being split into two parts, titled "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)" and "(Part Two)", because they had written down the story they wanted to tell for the sequel and realized that it was too much for a single film. Work on both parts was taking place simultaneously. The two sequels were renamed in April 2022, becoming "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: Beyond  the Spider-Verse". Their release dates were shifted then, with "Across the Spider-Verse" pushed back to June 2, 2023. Lord and Miller revealed that they told Sony the sequel would be the same size as "Into the Spider-Verse", but it ended up having the largest crew of any animated film ever with around 1,000 people working on it. They added that the film has 240 characters and takes place in six universes. Casting. By December 2018, Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld were set to reprise their respective roles as Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy from the first film . Lord indicated in November 2019 that the film would include Takuya Yamashiro, the "Japanese Spider-Man" from the 1978 "Spider-Man" series. In August 2020, Jake Johnson expressed hope that he could reprise his role as Peter B. Parker from the first film in the sequel. Issa Rae was cast as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman in June 2021, Johnson confirmed that he would be returning for the sequel a month later, and Oscar Isaac was confirmed in December to be reprising his role of Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 from the post-credits scene of "Into the Spider-Verse". Also  in December, Tom Holland—who plays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—revealed that Pascal had approached him about appearing in the "Spider-Verse" films during the filming of "" (2021). Holland and his co-stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon all expressed interest in appearing in the upcoming films. In April 2022, Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Vélez were confirmed to be reprising their roles as Miles's parents from the first film while Rachel Dratch was revealed to have been cast as Miles's school principal. Animation and design. Lord revealed that design work for new  characters in the film had begun by November 2019, with comic book artist Kris Anka later revealing that he was serving as a character designer on the film. On June 9, 2020, the film's lead animator Nick Kondo announced that production had started. The different universes visited in the film were designed to look like they were each drawn by a different artist. Music. Daniel Pemberton confirmed in December 2020 that he would return from the previous film to compose the sequel's score. Marketing. In May 2020, Sony entered into a promotional partnership with Hyundai Motor Company to  showcase their new models and technologies in the film. The first teaser for the film was released at Comic Con Experience in December 2021, revealing the title and the fact that the film is a two-part sequel. Following the announcement of the new title and release date in April 2022, Lord and Miller showed the first 15 minutes of the film (albeit with unfinished animation) at Sony's CinemaCon panel. Release. Theatrical. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 2, 2023, in premium large formats and IMAX. It was  originally set for release on April 8, 2022, but was shifted to October 7 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then moved to the June 2023 date. Home media. In April 2021, Sony signed deals with Netflix and Disney for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the films' theatrical and home media windows. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window and included the sequels to "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"; this deal built on an existing output deal that Netflix had signed with Sony Pictures  Animation in 2014. Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks. Future. Sequel. A third film was confirmed when Lord and Miller revealed in December 2021 that the "Into the Spider-Verse" sequel was being split into two films. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two)" was expected at that point to be released in 2023. In April 2022, it was renamed to "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" and given a release date of March 29, 2024. Spin -off. Sony began developing a "Spider-Women" film in November 2018 that would focus on three generations of female, Spider-related characters. Bek Smith was writing the spin-off, and Lauren Montgomery was in talks to direct. Pascal said the film would focus on the characters Gwen Stacy / Spider-Gwen, Cindy Moon / Silk, and Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman, and said "Across the Spider-Verse" would serve as a "launching pad" for it.