New Series From Into the Spider-Verse Producers Not Moving Forward at Amazon Freevee

Phil Lord and Chris Miller are producers known for an array of beloved projects, including Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, which Lord also co-wrote. Most recently, they produced the Elizabeth Banks-directed horror comedy, Cocaine Bear, and they’ll soon be returning to the wide world of Marvel with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Their credits also include directing The Lego Movie, producing The Mitchells vs the Machines, and creating Clone High. The duo has a lot of projects in the works, but one just had a major setback. According to Deadline, their new series Western is no longer moving forward at Amazon Freevee. 

Western is a period comedy developed by Lord and Miller’s Sony TV-based Lord Miller. The show was set to be led by Pen15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle. Currently, the series is being shopped around along with Open Book, another half-hour comedy dropped by Amazon Freevee which was supposed to be based on Jessica Simpson’s bestselling memoir. You can read a description of Western below:

“Written by Michelle Morgan, Western is set in the 1800s. It follows Polly (Konkle), a young high-society woman from Philadelphia who travels out west on a desperate quest for a husband only to discover that she has been catfished by a teenage boy. Now stranded in 1866 Montana, Polly, along with the town’s other inhabitants, must find their place in this ever-changing new world, confronting and defying all expectations society has of them along the way. Although her good breeding and opulent clothing make her stand out like a sore thumb in this dustbowl of a town, Polly’s wit and unexpected charm ultimately earn her a place there.” 

What Have Lord and Miller Said About Making Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? 

Lord and Miller previously spoke to The Wrap about some of the pressure that comes along with making a sequel to the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The first film was a huge success, so it’s no surprise that the producers are feeling a little nervous about making a follow-up.  

“There’s a lot of pressure on these films because you want the movie to deliver an engaging story and an emotional journey,” Chris Miller revealed. “You also want it to be all the things that people are hoping for but then also you need it to be something that people didn’t even know that they wanted.”

“Because the whole idea of these movies is we’re showing you something you’ve never seen before. And if we just did a fun mild story that felt like the first movie, I think it would be a bit disappointing. You want to feel like you’re seeing visuals that you’ve never experienced before,” he added. “To do all of those things and do them in a way that’s engaging and satisfying is a big challenge but it’s also part of the reason why we do these things. That’s the goal, just to make you laugh and cry and experience something that you’ve never experienced before.”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 2nd.