'90s Spider-Man Star Christopher Daniel Barnes Shoots Down Spider-Verse 2 Return Rumor: “I Wish It Was True”

Spider-Man: The Animated Series star Christopher Daniel Barnes responds to rumors about his return as the voice of the '90s Spider-Man in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, saying the report is "not true at all." Earlier this week, a report from That Hashtag Show claimed Barnes was in "final talks" to reprise his role opposite the Miles Morales Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) in Spider-Verse 2, where Barnes' Spider-Man from the 1994 animated series would appear in a limited capacity before swinging into the film's finale. Addressing the report in a video published to Instagram, Barnes says there is "no truth to the rumor whatsoever."

"I just wanted to take a moment to address this rumor that has been floating around the Internet and actually getting quite some traction," Barnes says in the Instagram video, below. "I keep getting a lot of questions about it, which is saying that I am somehow involved or in negations to be involved with the next Spider-Man movie. I wish it was true. That would just be super cool. Unfortunately, it's not true at all. There's no truth to the rumor whatsoever."

Barnes added, "I don't know how these rumors get started. I don't know. Like I said, I wish it was true, because that would be frickin' awesome to be part of the Spider-Man movie. But it's not true. I wish it was, so I just wanted to clarify that for anybody who was curious."

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Barnes voiced Peter Parker in all 65 episodes of the beloved Spider-Man animated series that aired between 1994 and 1998. The actor has since voiced multiple Spider-Men, including Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Man 2099 in video games Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Spider-Man: Edge of Time, respectively; Barnes also voiced multiple characters in rebooted animated series Ultimate Spider-Man.

"I've had the honor of playing like 30 different Spider-Men over the years, it's been incredible. I would do [Spider-Verse 2] in a second," Barnes said during a virtual convention panel last summer. "I mean, I love it, and it's a great honor every time they ask you to participate."

After news of Barnes' reported casting in Spider-Verse 2 went viral earlier in the week, John Semper, the executive producer behind '90s Spider-Man, debunked Barnes' involvement as "absolutely false."

"Chris has not been approached by Sony/Marvel to reprise his role as nineties Spider-Man, which means that the Spider-Man from my series will NOT be in this upcoming movie," Semper wrote on Facebook. "So spread the word. The rumor is FALSE."

The untitled Spider-Verse 2, about a crossover between Spider-People from other dimensions, reunites Miles (Moore) and the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). A full voice cast has not been revealed. Joaquim Dos Santos (Justice League Unlimited, Avatar: The Last Airbender) directs the sequel swinging into theaters on October 7, 2022.