Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse Cast, Directors, Producers, Possible Plotlines And More Details
It's been a long road for fans of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" — they waited years upon years for a sequel. Fortunately, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" lives up to the hype. While viewers will no doubt spend a decent amount of time digesting everything that the long-awaited "Spider-Verse" sequel offers, they're also happy to hear that Miles Morales' story isn't over yet. Indeed, the hero is set for yet another adventure in the form of a third movie: "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse."
Given how "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" leaves things, fans are eager for any information on its sequel. Fortunately, there are already quite a few juicy details on the movie available, including its team of directors, writers, and producers, and a few of its confirmed stars. Here's everything fans need to know about "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse."
When will Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse be released?
After watching "Into the Spider-Verse," viewers had to wait nearly five years before they could buy their tickets for the sequel. How long will they have to wait for "Beyond the Spider-Verse?" Well ... we aren't sure. The threequel's release date was originally scheduled for March 29, 2024. However, directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson told Variety they intended to enjoy the second film's success before diving back into work. Soon after, Vulture talked with multiple crew members who discussed punishing work conditions on the second "Spider-Verse" film, criticized Phil Lord's producing style, and expressed skepticism that part three would be ready by March. These are, after all, uniquely work-intensive movies to make; as visual effects supervisor Michael Lasker told The Hollywood Reporter, "It's like 3,000 paintings with 1,000 artists, all different types of work." The 2023 Hollywood strikes also had a huge impact on Sony's entire slate. Eventually, Sony removed "Beyond the Spider-Verse's" release date, which means that at the moment, we don't know when Miles Morales will return.
There are interesting signs, however. On August 15, Phil Lord told Digital Spy, "I can tell you we're already hard at work on it, and we'll take the time it takes to make it great." Then, in January 2024, Peter B. Parker actor Jake Johnson told Cinema Blend's ReelBlend podcast he hadn't recorded any dialogue. This isn't necessarily a bad sign, though; he noted, "I can't say anything about [the release date], but I will say with recording of actors, things can go fast. So, my not recording truly means nothing." In short, the movie still has a ways to go — but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll have to wait another five years.
What is the plot of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
Before "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" landed its current title, it was actually being developed as "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — Part 2." For all intents and purposes, the movie is actually just the second half of the narrative set up in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," rather than its own standalone sequel. "It will be a very satisfying conclusion," Phil Lord told Deadline. "It goes even more emotionally deep into the relationships between Miles, Gwen, Peter B, [and Miles'] parents."
Beyond this, few plot details have been confirmed — but we do know some things. This flick is poised to pick up from the second movie's cliffhanger ending and wrap up Miles Morales' clash against Jason Schwartzman's the Spot and his complex place in the Spider-Verse itself. Moreover, during their appearance on "Crew Call with Anthony D'Alessandro" (via ComicBook.com), producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller revealed that multiple iterations of Gwen Stacy will be key to the third movie's story. While they refrained from giving details regarding this aspect of this tale, Miller noted, "It is sort of plot-integral, I would say." An equally intriguing tidbit emerged from an Empire interview, in which Joaquim Dos Santos noted the third movie is inspired by Disney classic "The Parent Trap." Moreover, Kemp Powers told Variety, "[Miles is] going to try to do right by people who he feels he's done wrong by ... It complicates his mission in a way that we hope people find unexpected and also thrilling."
While production work has already commenced for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse," Powers teased that the plot of the third movie is still quite malleable following the release of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." "Honestly, people's reactions to this film are gonna influence and impact what happens with that next film," he told Collider.
Who is starring in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
There's not much in the way of official casting information for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" just yet, but two characters and their respective actors have already been confirmed to be returning. Of course, Shameik Moore will once again headline the cast as the voice of lead character Spider-Man/Miles Morales, while Jason Schwartzman is set to come back as the voice of Spidey antagonist The Spot, as director Kemp Powers confirmed to Total Film.
While no other names have been outright confirmed, there's a few more familiar faces that fans should expect. In an interview with Collider, Powers spoke of the second movie's cast, noting, "They're all gonna be coming back." Based on his words, it seems like major characters like Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy, Jake Johnson's Peter B. Parker, and Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara are all but a lock to appear in "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse."
Outside of characters that fans already know, the creative team has teased that the third movie will feature yet another brand-new crop of Spider-People. "You thought that you've seen every Spider-Person that you could imagine, but not every Spider-Person we can imagine," co-writer Phil Lord told Collider. As for who will portray this fresh batch of characters, only time will tell.
Who is directing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
Just like the first two "Spider-Man: Spider-Verse" movies, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" has a three-person directing team. Specifically, the trio who were in charge of directing the second movie "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" are returning for the third installment. That group is made up of Joaquim Dos Santos ("Justice League Unlimited," "Avatar: The Last Airbender"), Kemp Powers ("Soul"), and Justin K. Thompson ("The Powerpuff Girls").
In an interview with Collider, the three directors spoke about how they work to support each other in creating a film of the scale of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." "I think the three of us, we all bring our unique experiences," Thompson said. "This movie is too big, honestly. It is like making five movies at once. There's no way we could possibly be in every place we need to be, logistically speaking, and make this movie as if there was just one director."
Who is writing and producing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
On the screenwriting front, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" features a dream team of experienced creatives. Just as with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," the story will be co-written by the popular filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The pair have previously directed popular movies like 2012's "21 Jump Street" and 2014's "The Lego Movie." They are joined by fellow co-writer David Callaham, who served as a screenplay writer for action-packed films like 2010's "The Expendables" and 2021's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
Lord and Miller also serve as producers for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse." Other producers involved with the movie include Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad, who has both produced and executive produced many Marvel movies including every Spidey-related flick since "Spider-Man 2," former Sony Pictures producer Amy Pascal, and returning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" producer Christina Steinberg.
What to watch before seeing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Gearing up to see a Marvel movie can be a daunting task in the modern day, thanks to new projects often expecting audiences to have watched a number of previous movies in that same continuity or shared universe. Thankfully, viewers largely don't have to worry about watching a bunch of other stuff to understand what's going on in "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse." In fact, it's not even necessary to watch most of the previous "Spider-Man" movies that have come out over the years.
There are only two movies that are absolutely crucial to fully understanding the story of the latest "Spider-Verse" film, and those are its two predecessors: 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and 2023's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." The first film serves as an origin story for Miles Morales' incarnation of Spider-Man, while the second sees Miles dive headfirst into the multiverse to meet (and battle) a metric ton of his alternate universe counterparts.
Where to watch previous Spider-Verse movies
Those looking to watch "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" to prepare for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" have a few options. As far as streaming services go, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is currently only available through on-demand services like FuboTV, FXNOW, and Sling TV. Otherwise, viewers can digitally rent or purchase the film on most of the major digital storefronts, including Amazon Prime Video, the iTunes store, the Google Play store, the Microsoft store, YouTube, Vudu, and Redbox. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is available on Netflix. Beyond that, your best bet is to rent or purchase it from the aforementioned platforms.