Sony's animated
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse film swung into theaters this week, blowing audiences away with its bold storytelling and brilliant animation. The film introduces us to the "limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask." One such variant of the web-slinger is Gwen Stacy's Spider-Gwen.
Long before gracing the big screen, this new incarnation of the classic character was given her own origin story in her universe by co-creators Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. Latour recently spoke with Marvel.com about seeing his iteration of the character come to life in
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and how he even had some input in the filmmaking process.
“These guys (Phil Lord and Chris Miller) and everyone that worked with them were just the best. I went up to Sony Animation in L.A. after Comic-Con this summer and screened the film before it was done. Even at about 60 percent finished -- and what was there was so close to great already -- it was hard to believe it could survive the concerns of Hollywood and come out even better. I gave them five or six actionable notes, mostly on Gwen’s character and her relationships, and a few dumb jokes and insights into Spider-Ham (who we all bonded pretty deeply over). And man, I was so thrilled and surprised to see my input was not only received but that a lot of it was actually incorporated into the movie. It’s just such a rare thing to be asked into the process— let alone listened to."
Latour says seeing his version of Gwen Stacy on the big screen is the "highlight of his life," calling it an "out-of-body experience" and "very humbling."
“Gwen is one of the closest [characters] to me personality-wise. I couldn’t help but filter her problems through my own life," he added.
“To see [her] done so faithfully is mind-blowing.”
Spider-Gwen aside, Latour had nothing but praise for
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, calling it a "game-changer" for comic book movies.
“It’s gonna rewire people’s brains when it comes to Super Hero movies. It’s one of the first big swings towards a new kind of comic book movie. It’s a whole-cloth endeavor making animated comic movies. I’d like to see it done for the Fantastic Four or the X-Men.”
Latour brings up a fascinating hypothetical with
Fantastic Four or
X-Men getting a similar animated treatment as both franchises have stumbled of late. Of course, the future of these franchises will soon rest in the trusted hands of Marvel who have yet to really disappoint us. It would certainly be interesting to see Marvel take a similar storytelling approach with some of its more obscure characters; but, for its major franchises, like
Fantastic Four or
X-Men, I'd expect films more inline with the incredibly popular MCU.
Still,
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a bold move by Sony and it seems to be translating into both a critical and commercial success. Whether its success will lead to other studios adopting a similar stylistic approach remains to be seen; but, it could certainly breathe new life into the comic book movie genre that is consistently having to fend off "superhero fatigue" criticisms.