In a somewhat surprising (though not completely unexpected) move, Amazon Prime Video has decided not to move forward with a second season of Spider-Noir.
The series, which stars Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, an aging PI in an alternate 1930s New York who must confront his former life as the city’s only superhero, was very popular with critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 90% audience score) and was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, the most for any Prime Video show this year.
Spider-Noir also had a strong viewership (2.6 billion viewing minutes during its first six weeks), although it didn't have much staying power, dropping off the streamer's daily Top 10 rankings fairly quickly.
A specific reason for the cancellation was not disclosed, but it likely came down to cost. Amazon may have felt that critical acclaim and solid viewing figures simply didn't justify the show's hefty price tag.
Despite this disappointing development, Deadline reports that the Amazon-Sony TV collaboration will continue. "The two sides are carrying on with development of multiple projects, with one of them said to be nearing a series order."
Cage was asked about the chances of him returning for a second season during a recent interview with Variety.
"I do not know. But I would say that whether [Season 2] happens or not, all of us achieved what we set out to do, and it works on its own. We’ll see what happens."
What do you make of this news? Were you looking forward to more Spider-Noir? Let us know in the comments.
Oren Uziel served as writer and executive producer on the show, with Into the Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and former Sony boss Amy Pascal also on board as executive producers.
Uziel is known for penning romantic actioner The Lost City, along with the likes of 22 Jump Street, Mortal Kombat, and The Cloverfield Paradox. He also has writing credits on John Wick: Chapter 4 and the upcoming Borderlands video game adaptation.
Cage didn't reprise the role of Noir for the recent Across the Spider-Verse animated sequel, but is expected to return for the final film in the animated trilogy, Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Spider-Noir's cast also includes Lamorne Morris (New Girl), Li Jun Li (Sinners), Karen Rodriguez (The Hunting Wives), and Abraham Popoola (Atlas), with guest stars Lukas Haas, Cameron Britton, Cary Christopher, Michael Kostroff, Scott MacArthur, Joe Massingill, Whitney Rice, Amanda Schull, Andrew Caldwell, Amy Aquino, Andrew Robinson, and Kai Caster.