Spider-Man Noir: Nicolas Cage Reportedly in Talks for Live-Action Series

Spider-Man Noir may be swinging to Prime Video soon. In a major update for Sony Pictures Television's live-action Spider-Man TV shows in the works at Prime Video, Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage is reportedly in talks to star in the live-action Spider-Man Noir series. The Ankler brings word of this update, revealing that "Cage is in serious talks to take on the lead role on the series," seemingly reprising his role from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This update on Cage potentially leading the Spider-Man Noir TV show comes at the same time as the outlet reports the other Spider-Man adjacent series, Silk: Spider Society, has released its entire writer's room and is keeping the showrunner around to continue development.

It was previously reported that Steven Lightfoot, previously the showrunner for Marvel's The Punisher starring Jon Bernthal, would act as executive producer and co-showrunner for Prime Video's Spider-Man Noir TV series, working alongside writer Oren Uziel. Considering Nicolas Cage is potentially going to lead the series it seems likely that the show could be an expansion on his character from the animated Spider-Verse movies, though that remains unconfirmed. Should that end up no being the case and this live-action Spider-Man Noir series is it's own thing entirely...Marvel fans might be a little disappointed. 

"Well, I think it's a wonderful character," Cage previously shared with ComicBook.com. "It's a character that lends itself to channeling some of my favorite noir movie stars. It doesn't matter if new generations do not know who [Humphrey] Bogart is or [James] Cagney is. The point is that those vocalizations or Edward G. Robinson, those rhythms worked. They work on camera. They work in terms of the way they sound. Spider-Man, for me, is the coolest superhero. I think to have that combined with a noir, like 1930s golden age movie star attitude, makes it one of the most exciting of all the superhero characters."   

He continued, "I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that's a great character. Spider-Man's the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it's a great character."

In the pages of Spider-Man Noir comics, of which there are less than 10 (not counting Spider-Verse comics), this version of Peter Parker maintains his persona as a spider-themed superhero while also working as a reporter. He has also previously fought film noir versions of the classic Spider-Man villains including the likes of Chameleon, The Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, The Crime Master, and The Green Goblin. It remains to be seen if the TV series will take that same path, rewriting the history of Peter Parker as fans know it but through the lens of film noir tropes and devices. 

"Right from when I was a kid, I was always a Spider-Man guy," Lightfoot told previously told us when working on The Punisher. "And if the chance ever came to write anything Spider-Man related, my twelve year old self would never be happier. Though I have to say, having just seen Into the Spider-Verse, that's a big bar to jump because I thought that movie was good. I thought it was a different level."  

Check back here for more details on the live-action Spider-Man Noir TV series as we learn about it.