Prime Video's Spider-Noir tells the story of Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city's only superhero.
The series won't be the first time we've seen Spider-Man Noir on screen, of course, as Cage previously lent his voice to the character in 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
There's been some speculation about the Oscar-winning animated movie being connected to Spider-Noir, but showrunner Oren Uziel set the record straight in a new interview with Empire. "Same character, different universe," he confirmed.
"It’s a different flavour of that character, even though it’s still Nic’s voice," Uziel added. "It’s not a continuation of Into the Spider-Verse. Once Phil and Chris introduced the idea of the multiverse, I think you’re allowed to take things and make them your own."
He went on to say that his priority, along with Cage's, was to "make a version of Spider-Man that no one had ever seen before."
Reflecting on watching the eight-episode season with the actor, Uziel says he "spoke his own lines back, with pleasure and glee. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced."
It may be a different universe, but it's not really the same character. For starters, the Spider-Man Noir featured in Into the Spider-Verse was a Peter Parker Variant, not Ben Reilly. Beyond the name, though, the essence of the wall-crawler no doubt remains the same.
Check out some new stills from Spider-Noir in the X post below, along with promo art (the artist responsible has confirmed that Abraham Popoola is playing Tombstone).
Spider-Noir's cast includes Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage (Adaptation), Emmy Award-winning actor Lamorne Morris (New Girl), Li Jun Li (Sinners), Karen Rodriguez (The Hunting Wives), Abraham Popoola (Atlas), with SAG Award-winning actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), and Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin).
Guest stars include 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.
Spider-Noir is produced by Sony Pictures Television exclusively for MGM+ and Prime Video. Emmy Award-winning director Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) directed and executive produced the first two episodes.
Emmy Award winner Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) directed and executive produced the first two episodes. Oren Uziel (The Lost City, 22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel's The Punisher, Shantaram) serve as co-showrunners and executive producers.
Uziel and Lightfoot developed the series with the Academy Award–winning team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal. Lord and Miller executive produce, with Aditya Sood and Dan Shear. Amy Pascal also serves as an executive producer through Pascal Pictures.
All episodes of Spider-Noir premiere on Prime Video on May 27.