Nicolas Cage is reprising his Spider-Verse voice role as Spider-Man Noir in a new live-action series. Fans got to meet Cage’s version of the noir-inspired webslinger in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and while he only had a short cameo in the sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man Noir is expected to have a larger role in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. As Sony Pictures looks to get its Spider-Man Universe off the ground on the big screen, Spider-Noir will push the franchise on streaming. Spider-Man Noir has a dedicated fanbase, and there is interest in what the first Spider-Man live-action series will look like.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Before we dive into everything you need to know about Spider-Noir, the first thing we have to talk about is Sony’s plans to expand its Spider-Man Universe on television. Venom: The Last Dance is out in theaters, as underwhelming as it appears to be so far, and on the horizon is Kraven the Hunter. The big screen is where Sony is focusing on villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, and streaming is putting the spotlight on our Spider heroes. Leading the charge is Spider-Man Noir, but he wasn’t the first hero picked to headline a streaming series in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Spider-Noir replaces Silk: Spider Society as first Spider-Man live-action series
The first Spider-Man live-action series officially announced wasn’t Spider-Noir; it was actually Silk: Spider Society. The joint venture from Amazon/MGM and Sony Pictures Television was announced back in November 2022 with The Walking Dead Universe writer/producer Angela Kang serving as showrunner. Silk: Spider-Society was going to launch the Spider-Man TV Universe into with a domestic release on MGM+ before being available globally on Prime Video.
However, earlier this year we learned Silk: Spider Society would not be moving forward at Amazon after all, with Sony Pictures Television shopping the show to other buyers. There were issues with the show’s development, from Silk: Spider Society‘s writers room being let go and the show reconfigured to somehow not focus on its central character of Silk.
Spider-Man Noir getting live-action treatment
Enter Spider-Man Noir. Reports of a live-action Spider-Man Noir series being in the works at Amazon surfaced in February 2023, though Nicolas Cage was not attached to the project at that time. The character hails from Earth-90214 in the Marvel Comics multiverse, which is a Depression-era world where Marvel’s superheroes are reinvented to fit into the aesthetic of noir detective movies. Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot will serve as showrunners, who developed the series with Into the Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Amy Pascal.
Nicolas Cage wasn’t officially announced to be starring in Spider-Noir until May 2024. The show was originally referred to as Noir, but now appears to have taken the name of Spider-Noir, possibly to let the audience know it’s a part of the Spider-Man Universe.
Spider-Noir cast revealed
Aside from Nicolas Cage, one of the first actors linked to Spider-Noir was New Girl star Lamorne Morris, who is playing the fan-favorite Spider-Man character Robbie Robertson. He is one of Peter Parker’s bosses at the Daily Bugle, and while Peter typically has a dicey relationship with J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson has often been a loyal associate and friend to the wall-crawler. The description of Morris’ Robbie Robertson calls him “driven, hard-working, and won’t take no for an answer. A dedicated journalist trying to make it with the odds stacked against him as a black professional in 1930s New York, he takes on riskier stories that no one else would touch in order to catch attention and a paycheck. He is willing to do whatever is necessary for his career.”
Golden Globe and Oscar-winning star Brendan Gleeson (he Banshees of Inisherin) is playing the villain of Spider-Noir. Details about Gleeson’s role weren’t immediately available, but Marvel’s original Spider-Man Noir comic re-imagined many of Spider-Man’s classic villains as gangster types in 1930s New York. They included Norman “The Goblin” Osborn, a carnival freak turned crime lord, and his carnie cronies Kraven (a former animal trainer), the Vulture (an animalistic freak show cannibal), and the Chameleon (a master of disguise).
Li Jun Li (Wu Assassins) also joins Spider-Noir as “a singer at the premier nightclub in New York,” and The Marvels star Abraham Popoola plays “a World War I veteran who is looking for an opportunity to get ahead.” Additionally, eight other actors were also added to the Spider-Man live-action series: Lukas Haas (Inception), Cameron Britton (Mindhunter), Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives), Michael Kostroff (Luke Cage), Scott MacArthur (The Righteous Gemstones), Joe Massingill (Barry), Whitney Rice (Jury Duty), and Amanda Schull (Suits) in recurring roles.
Spider-Man Noir rocks a comics-accurate costume in live-action series
Fans recently got to see photos of Nicolas Cage on the Spider-Noir set, and there’s even photos of the iconic black costume Noir donned in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated movie. The first set of photos show Nicolas Cage maskless in a black trenchcoat, acting out a strange-looking sequence that has him both kneeling and lying on the ground, seemingly dodging or run away from some unseen force or assailant.
However, it’s the comics-accurate photos that are sure to catch fans’ attention. It’s noted that it’s not Nicolas Cage in the Spider-Man Noir costume; rather a stunt double performing the action sequence that features our hero on top of a speeding car.
How many episodes is Spider-Noir?
Nicolas Cage revealed how many episodes the first season of Spider-Noir will consist of. “Forty-five minutes. I mean, it’s eight episodes. So it’s the equivalent of four movies in five months. And I’ve got another movie I’ve gotta prepare for, and then a movie right after it,” Cage told The New Yorker in July.
Eight episodes seem to be the sweet spot when creating TV shows based on comic books. Each season of The Boys has been eight episodes, and Marvel’s Disney+ content has been between six and 10 episodes on average.
What is Spider-Noir about?
Spider-Noir tells the story “of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero,” per the official logline.
Emmy-winning director Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) is overseeing the series and executive producing the first two episodes. Oren Uziel (The Lost City, 22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Shantaram) serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, and developed the series with the Academy Award-winning team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which includes Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
What is the release date for Spider-Noir?
Spider-Noir will debut domestically on MGM+’s linear channel, then globally on Prime Video in 2025.
Related Posts
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
