Why the Most Exciting Upcoming Spider-Man Movie Was Delayed 3 Years Officially Explained by Writers

If things had gone as originally planned, the Spider-Verse trilogy would have concluded years ago. At one point, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was scheduled to come out in 2024. However, after reports detailing alleged poor working conditions on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse started to circulate, the third film was delayed. Now, Beyond the Spider-Verse is slated to premiere in June 2027, meaning fans will have waited four long years to see how Across the Spider-Verse‘s shocking cliffhanger is resolved. Whenever a movie this anticipated is delayed for an extended period of time, people are understandably concerned, but the Spider-Verse creative team had good reason for pushing the film back.

Speaking with Gizmodo, Spider-Verse franchise producers and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller shed some light on the Beyond the Spider-Verse development process. “At one point it was one movie, but there was too much movie there, so it was separated into two,” said Miller. “But then once you looked at that second half of a movie, you’re like, ‘Well, that’s like not just a story arc that has a beginning, middle, and end.”

Lord continued, “We know where it’s headed, but we need to understand better what’s happening in the middle. And we came upon a really wonderful notion, which is when your family is broken apart by your calling, your talents, how do you put them back together? How do you have it all?”

Beyond the Spider-Verse Needs to Tell a Complete Story

It’s become a common pop culture trope for franchise finales to be split into multiple parts. While there’s an obvious business upside to this strategy (the studio has another reliable box office draw to add to its schedule), the approach doesn’t always deliver the best results creatively. As Miller alludes to, this can create a situation where at least one of the chapters does not tell a complete story with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. Even when a film is part of a series (and is continuing dangling threads from previous installments), it needs to be able to stand on its own merits and work as a movie with an engaging story arc.

Based on Lord and Miller’s comments, the filmmakers realized Beyond the Spider-Verse fell short in this regard, so the decision was made to delay the movie. This ensured the creative team had the necessary time to rework Beyond the Spider-Verse and ensure the narrative was as strong as it could possibly be. Considering the Spider-Verse series is renowned for its creative, heartfelt storytelling, it’s easy to understand where Lord and Miller are coming from. With Beyond the Spider-Verse set to end the trilogy, the two want it to reach (or even exceed) the high bar set by its predecessors. It would be disappointing if Miles Morales’ story concluded on an underwhelming note.

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Film trilogies have a tendency to follow the classic three act structure, meaning the second installment is when the characters find themselves at their lowest points. Miles certainly goes through the wringer in Across the Spider-Verse, learning he was never supposed to become a Spider-Person in the first place and that his father is destined to die. In an attempt to make things right, Miles accidentally travels to the wrong dimension and is held captive by his own variant. It sounds like Beyond the Spider-Verse will be all about Miles attempting to overcome all of this adversity and do what he can to put his life back together. Because he mistakenly gained powers, the Spot emerged and started wreaking havoc on his home dimension, so Miles feels responsible for all that has happened.

Family is a running theme in the Spider-Verse movies. It doesn’t just pertain to Miles’ dynamic with his parents, but also the found family he gains meeting the other Spider-People from across the multiverse, so it makes sense for family to be the main thread tying Beyond the Spider-Verse together. If the previous installments are anything to go by, there will be a very poignant narrative at the heart of Beyond the Spider-Verse. Whether Miles can truly find a way to have it all or if he needs to say a tearful goodbye to someone remains to be seen, but whatever happens, the film should tell a complete story that brings the whole trilogy to a rousing close.

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