Prior to the release of Sony's Into the Spider-Verse, the big screen had already seen multiple portrayals of the web-slinger. Long-time fans followed the progression from the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire, through The Amazing Spider-Man franchise alongside Andrew Garfield, and of course, the MCU version played by Tom Holland.
When Into the Spider-Verse was initially announced, fans were thrilled with the potential of an animated take on the Webhead. The big screen would finally incorporate other versions of the hero such as Spider-Ham (John Mulaney,) Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld,) Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn,) Spider-Man Noir (Nic Cage,) Peter Parker (Chris Pine,) Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson,) Spidey 2099 (Oscar Issaacs,) and of course, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore).
Even with the large number of Spideys in the film, fans still had their fingers crossed that the live-action versions of the character would be included in some way - after all - it is a multiverse. However, when we recently chatted with director Peter Ramsey, he touched on the original plan to include the live-action versions when they were pitching to the studio.
On top of that, we also dig into the Community cameo with Donald Glover. To hear our full conversation with the director and storyboard artist Peter Ramsey click the podcast player below. Otherwise, scroll down for this portion of the transcript!
Literary Joe: I think one of my favorite parts of the movie is the Community cameo from Donald Glover. Do you know whose idea that was or how that came to be?
Peter Ramsey: That feels like it could have been anybody. It feels like it was probably a little Rodney Rothman Easter egg.
But it was definitely one of those things, where all through the production, the ghost of Donald Glover was hovering around in one way or another. So it's no surprise, that said, that he snuck in.
Literary Joe: And as we know, if it wasn't for Donald Glover, we wouldn't have Miles.
Peter Ramsey: Well yeah, depending on which version of the story you hear, that is very, very true.
Literary Joe: I know there's a sequel, and spin-offs, and a lot of stuff coming up for the Spider-Verse world. Is there any potential, or has there been any talk of potentially involving some of the live-action versions of Spider-Man?
Peter Ramsey: Yeah. Oh, we were playing with that idea for this one. There was definitely a pitch where live-action folks showed up.
So, you know, as for the next one, who knows, because we really were throwing every idea at them that we could. And so it could. I don't know, it could happen.
You know, I think at the time Marvel and Sony were like, "yeah... that's just a little too out of the box, everybody." But, they hadn't seen the movie.
*This interview has been edited for clarity. Audio is co-hosted by Nick Brooks (Toonado).
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind.
Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
If you're interested in watching Peter's Faceplant episode, you can check it out here.