Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had one massive live-action cameo that made audiences across the world freak out when they saw it. From the moment that Miles Morales came face-to-face with Donald Glover as The Prowler, it felt like something out of fanfiction. But, it was all real. On Instagram, Trayce Gigi Field shared her design and some of the concepts behind such a wild moment. Fans will remember that Glover already played Aaron Davis on the MCU’s Earth in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But, he never really became The Prowler in that universe. Check out what the costume designer had to say about the moment down below.
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Field began, “Building The Prowler Sueprsuit w/ the help of the amazing @lemyhime was the coolest. Thank you @chrizmillr @philordy for such a fun #project Love Being part of the #spiderverse #Family. Side note (slide 3) – I worked with @donaldglover many years ago on a film called #thetodolist – he is every bit as sweet as I remembered #custom #costumebuild #nofittingsnecessary #madetoorder #theprowler #supersuit #lovemyjob #costmes”
How Did The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Directors Get Donald Glover
Phil Lord and Chris Miller did a lot to help land the Community star for this role. As we mentioned, he had already played Aaron Davis before. Glover also has an extensive history with the character because of the #DonaldForSpiderMan campaign a while ago. In the end, that love for Spidey was enough to get him to come in and film a cameo in New York City. Directors Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson told Variety about it last week.
“It was shot at a studio in New York,” Powers explained. “Chris Miller flew to be there in person, and Phil Lord and I were on the video feed giving direction. We got it in at the 11th hour. As a matter of fact, even in audience preview screenings, it was a little cardboard cutout of Donald Glover.”
“We knew it was still going to land, though, because the idea of it still got people geeked,” Dos Santos chimed-in. “That’s when you know you have something.”
Did The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Worry About Too Many Cameos?
A lot of fans were worried that the scope of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would end up drowning out what made the first movie so enjoyable. The directors were well-aware of this problem and took their own steps to curb some of the noise that would come with too many live-action appearances. Yes, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield pop-up in footage from their movies. But, they wanted to keep the focus on Miles Morales and his journey as much as possible.
Here’s what they said to Variety about achieving balance while treating the fans. “There were times when we had huge live-action sequences in the film, and it just turned into a bad joke,” Powers revealed. “Even we didn’t like it anymore. And we just said, ‘OK, enough, let’s make sure that it’s something precise that gets the most bang for the buck, and speaks to the story.”
What Else Should You Know Heading Into Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Miles Morales returns to the big screen with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now playing in theaters after premiering on June 2nd. Miles (Shamiek Moore ) reunites with fellow heroes Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld ) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) for another web-swinging adventure through the multiverse, finding himself at odds with the Spider-Society led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac ). Other new heroes include Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), while new villain the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) also enters the fray. The sequel to Sony Pictures’ hit 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and written by the team of Chris Miller, Phil Lord, and Dave Callaham.
Were you surprised by this massive live-action cameo? Let us know down in the comments!