A New Vision for Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Noir’
Two trailers for the upcoming television series Spider-Noir have been released, giving fans an initial look at Nicolas Cage’s portrayal of a superhero private investigator. The show is presented in both black-and-white and full color, offering viewers a unique choice in how they experience the story.
The series is set to debut on MGM+ on May 25 and will later be available on Prime Video on May 27. This dual format allows audiences to decide whether they prefer the classic noir aesthetic or a more vibrant, colorful take on the narrative.
Starring Nicolas Cage alongside Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Jack Huston, and Karen Rodriguez, Spider-Noir is produced by Sony Pictures Television and based on the Marvel comic series Spider-Man Noir. The story follows Cage as Ben Reilly, a private investigator who becomes a superhero in 1930s New York City after experiencing a personal tragedy.
The show is executive-produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors behind Project Hail Mary and the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse franchise. At a recent Deadline event, the filmmakers shared some insights into Cage’s performance, revealing that he approached the character with a blend of 70% Humphrey Bogart and 30% Bugs Bunny.
Miller explained, “One of the things you don’t think about with noir is that it’s super serious. But Bogart always had a twinkle in his eye and was always doing something clever. And he and Bugs Bunny have more in common than you might think.”
Lord added, “There’s a playfulness to it, right? And there’s a playfulness to Nic – I think that’s why he’s so iconic. There’s also a playfulness to [showrunner] Oren Uziel, who we worked with on the Jump Street movies. So the idea is that the show is a big character drama, an amazing mystery, a big event television, but it’s also light on its feet.”
The series was developed as a standalone project after Cage voiced the character in the first Spider-Verse movie. “When the idea of making a live-action Spider show came up, this was the first idea we had,” said Miller. “Because it felt like it was a contained universe, its own thing.”
Lord added, “What I love about noir is that it’s about people in impossible situations. And Amy Pascal always taught us about Spider-Man – it’s not about flying around. It’s about what’s going on inside these guys and how challenged they are trying to live their lives as human beings and also as heroes at the same time.”
