SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE Will Be THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of the Trilogy
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be the second film in a planned Spider-Verse trilogy and it’s explained that this next film will end on a cliffhanger, and it’s said to be The Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy.
During an interview with SFX Magazine, co-director Kemp Powers explained: "Across The Spider-Verse is a movie on its own, but it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I think it’s a good cliffhanger. We hope that it’s a satisfying tee-up for what’s coming in the third film, because you want people to be excited about what’s coming next.”
Powers went on to say: "And it helps that we knew going in that this was part two of a three-part story. Since you already know that that third story is guaranteed, you can tackle it a bit differently. That being said, there’s a lot of key characters in this film, and there’s a story in this film that has an arc of its own that we needed to complete."
Co-director Joaquim Dos Santos went on to compare this sequel to The Empire Strikes Back saying: "I was very satisfied after The Empire Strikes Back, and hopefully, this is our Empire."
I assume that means Across The Spider-Verse is going to end on a bit of a downer for Miles Morales and his friends. As you know, The Empire Strikes Back ends with Han captured in carbonite and Luke processing the revelation that Darth Vader is his father.
The sequel follows Miles Morales as he is “plunged into the multiverse where he joins forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-folks to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.”
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, “Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.”
The film will consist of 240 characters, and the cast includes Shameik Moore as Miles, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen, Brian Tyree Henry as Miles’ dad, Jefferson Davis; Luna Lauren Velez as Miles’ mom, Rio Morales; Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman; Jorma Taccone as Vulture; Rachel Dratch; Shea Whigham; Greta Lee; and Jason Schwartzman as the villain Spot. Andy Samberg also recently joined the cast.
The movie will also introduce multiple universes including Gwen’s Earth-65, with its distinctive watercolor palette; the India-inspired Mumbattan; Nueva York, the home of Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099, aka Miguel O’Hara; the punky New London, inhabited by Daniel Kaluuya’s Hobart “Hobie” Brown, a.k.a. Spider-Punk; and then there’s a secretive fifth dimension that’s being kept tightly under wraps for now.
The movie is being directed and produced by Justin K. Thompson, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Kemp Powers. Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Christina Steinberg are also producing. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will also be credited as writers on the film, along with David Callaham.
The movie is set to be released on June 2nd, 2023! I recently got to watch 14 new minutes of the film, and you can watch our reaction video for that here. The third installment, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, will be released on March 29th, 2024.