Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Footage Reaction: We Saw The First 15 Minutes Of The Must-See Sequel [CinemaCon 2022]
"Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)" is no more. Say hello to "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and its sequel, "Beyond the Spider-Verse."
Back in 2018, Sony Pictures Animation surprised and delighted the world by releasing "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Rather than focusing on the story of Peter Parker once again, the studio swerved left and instead introduced audiences to Miles Morales. A recipient of the same powers as Parker, but hailing from a world recently left without the hero, Miles crossed paths with the Spider-Folk of other realities. In doing so, he learned that anyone could be Spider-Man, stepping up to take on the mantle in his reality.
With a tease at the end of the film that Miles' multiversal melodrama wasn't quite over, it was no shock when Sony Pictures announced "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." What was a shock was the fact that the film was the first of a two-part story, the latter of which has now received an official title: "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse." And now we have another peek at the first film thanks to new footage recently revealed at CinemaCon 2022. We got a look at the movie's first 15 minutes — even if it wasn't quite finished.
Another multiversal tale in 2022
Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, and Hailee Steinfeld are all reprising their roles as Miles Morales, Peter B. Parker, and Gwen Stacy, respectively. They'll be joined by Oscar Issac as Spider-Man 2099 (seen above) and Issa Rae as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman.
Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller came on stage to present the unfinished footage, and some staggeringly impressive facts. Miller says that the sequel is "way, way, way bigger than the last one," a feat that sounds impossible but nevertheless extremely exciting. Lord says that this movie is "Still a great story about Miles, and we're really excited to tell it." Fortunately for us, we're really excited to see it. A whopping 800 people worked on "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" but "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse" has upped that number to 1,000. The first movie had 40 characters and this one boasts 240 characters. As Lord tells it, "Across The Spider-Verse" takes place in six different universes, but was quick to add in a "so far," hinting that there will possibly be more.
There were only a few shots in the footage that reflected that quasi-finished look, but even with the unpolished preview, things are already looking cool. The footage was proudly declared as being "Approved by the Comics Code," a great reference to the former Comics Code Authority formed in 1954 as an alternative to government regulation that allowed comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States.
The preview footage starts in Gwen Stacy's dimension, a place called Earth 65 that's got, as Miller describes it, a bit of a "mood ring" vibe to it. We also learn that Miles Morales' world is Earth 1610, which we assume means there are 1545 possible Earth dimensions between them?! At one point, Gwen Stacy fights with Vulture (sporting a delightful Italian accent and a sepia-toned look) inside the Guggenheim Museum, and makes a jab about him being Italian. Just when we think Gwen is about to meet her maker, BOOM! A jacked-to-the-gills Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, pops out through a portal and saves the day.
As it turns out, Kingpin's collider from the first movie left a hole in the multiverse big enough to let folks like Vulture transport through other dimensions. Uh, that can't be good. Spider-Man 2099 calls for backup, and a pregnant Jessica Drew sporting an afro blasts through on a motorcycle. For those unaware, that means we're getting another Spider-Woman! Issa Rae is set to voice Drew, which is absolute dream casting we should all be celebrating. Drew rides her motorcycle around the interior of the Guggenheim, and tells O'Hara that they could use Gwen's help, but he's hesitant. Their brawl moves to the outside and Vulture *checks notes* shoots down a helicopter?!
Thinking quickly, Gwen creates a web to stop the helicopter from crashing and save the pilots, tangling up Vulture in the process. All seems well and good, until Gwen is confronted by her dad, police officer George Stacy, who doesn't know this Spider-Gwen is his daughter, and pulls a gun on her in an attempt to arrest her for the murder of Peter Parker. In a shocking reveal, Gwen takes off her mask to tell him the truth. "I didn't murder Peter," she says. Daddy Stacy is obviously crestfallen. "How long have you been lying to me?" he says. "Do you really think I'm a murderer?" she asks. It looks like George Stacy may have a connection to Peter, but what that connection is remains unclear. She continues pleading her case, but he's not hearing it. She's read her Miranda rights by her very sad dad ... but then Spider-Man 2099 encases him in some sort of electric prison, opens a portal, and Jessica Drew, Gwen Stacy, and Miguel O'Hara all step through it.
Back in Brooklyn, Earth 1610, Miles' parents are having a meeting at school, but he's late because he's too busy, you know, being Spider-Man. We're not 100% sure on this one so don't quote us, but it sounds like comedian Rachel Dratch may be voicing Miles' guidance counselor, which would be an absolute delight. Miles' roommate helps him out of his Spidey suit to make it to the meeting, which turns out to be about his grades. He's doing pretty okay, but he's getting a B in Spanish, which is obviously a massive disappointment to his mom, who is a native speaker. The guidance counselor suggests that Miles attends Columbia, because they have a great program for quantum physics. Miles thinks that's great, knowing that his studies could help him throughout the other dimensions. Mom is noticeably nervous about her baby boy leaving Brooklyn for Manhattan, which is hilariously not that far away, but suddenly Miles gets a Spidey sense as his father gets a cop call about a supervillain over his radio.
Y'all, this movie is going to be SO fun.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was a wonderful revelation, a computer-generated showcase that looked altogether different from anything else on the silver screen. While the box office take was lower than its live-action counterparts, the film made $375 million worldwide. It also went on to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, so our hopes are high for this two-part sequel.
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos ("Avatar: The Last Airbender"), Kemp Powers ("Soul"), and Justin K. Thompson ("Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse"). Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The LEGO Movie") are producing, with the pair also co-writing the screenplay alongside David Callaham ("Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Tend Rings"). The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on June 2, 2023, while the sequel, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" is planned for release on March 29, 2024.