One Spider-Noir Casting Choice Is A 20-Year-Old Noir Callback

Prime Video and MGM+'s "Spider-Noir" is chock full of other superhero and film noir references. To its credit, a good portion of these references are in the series' text itself. Not only is private detective Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage) deliberately modeling himself after popular 1930s noir and gangster movie actors (the better to help disguise his secret identity as The Spider), but in a couple of instances, he's actually watching those films, too. Most of the references in the series are to films made during the 1930s and '40s, and while they range from the blatant to the hidden, it's all in service of lending the show as much period and genre authenticity as possible.

However, there are some surprisingly obscure references to other, more modern noir films laced within the fabric of the series. For one thing, star Cage is no complete stranger to the genre. While he's never starred in a classic, straightforward noir, he's been in many neo-noirs like "Rumble Fish," "Wild at Heart," and "Red Rock West." He's also played comic-book characters before, like in the "Ghost Rider" films, and he infamously nearly played a superhero in Tim Burton's abandoned "Superman Lives" movie. In that vein, there's another actor in "Spider-Noir" whose presence doubles as a 20-year-old callback to another neo-noir cult classic. Lukas Haas, who plays a gangster named Winston in "Spider-Noir," appeared in 2006's "Brick" as the head of a criminal organization that exists within a high school. It's a canny choice on the series' part, as Haas' appearance and background help lend "Spider-Noir" that much more noir flavor.

In "Spider-Noir," Lukas Haas plays Winston, who is the right-hand man of the criminal kingpin of New York City, Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson). Despite Winston being essentially a thug and a glorified henchman, he's depicted as someone who is exceedingly cool under pressure, and may have ambitions to run his own criminal empire someday, perhaps even Silvermane's. Many elements of his character stem from the way Haas portrays him, giving Winston a low-key, almost detached attitude that seems to mask a hidden threat. This vibe is similar to his performance as The Pin in "Brick." Despite the fact that Haas was playing a legitimate criminal kingpin in that film (albeit as a kid who's just barely out of high school), he's got a lot of the same brooding, menacing attitude.

As such, Haas' appearance in "Spider-Noir" not only casts suspicion on his character and motivations but also deliberately nods to "Brick." This helps lend the series even more noir legitimacy, as Haas understands the genre's rhythms and tone. It also underlines the series' unusual blend of genres. "Brick" was writer/director Rian Johnson's stylistic shot across the bow, blending a high school drama with classic noir tones and tropes in a way that delighted some and repelled others. Similarly, "Spider-Noir" is neither a throwback film noir pastiche nor a superhero story, but is rather both at once. Haas' casting helps signal that concept to savvy viewers, and his performance is pitch-perfect for the character. The choice demonstrates once again how references needn't all function as mere "Leo pointing meme" fodder. In the best cases, they can be that while also contributing something vital to the work itself.

"Spider-Noir" is now streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.