Spider-Man Noir Series Preview

The franchise surrounding the friendly neighborhood spider keeps on growing. Sony and Marvel in particular have made it their mission to expand the universe. Not only did we get Spider-Man with Tom Holland from the MCU, but with "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" we also got a whole multiverse of different Spider-Man variants. Now, though, one of the streaming giants wants to enter the superhero fray. Amazon is working hard on its own Spider-Man adaptation, namely "Spider-Man Noir". In this article, we summarize what the live-action series will be about and what is already known.

Cast

A lot is known about the cast, but the roles have not yet been precisely distributed - or at least not officially confirmed by Amazon. What is clear, however, is who will play the lead role of Noir, and this is where Amazon has managed to secure the perfect candidate. Noir will be played by none other than Nicolas Cage. He already provided Spider-Man Noir with his voice in the animated film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and always brings his very own touch to the role.

Whether it will be the Noir from the movie or a different version, is not yet clear, however. Cage is now over 60 years old. But Spider-Man is not his first comic book adaptation: In 2007, he played the leading role in the film adaptation of "Ghost Rider", which was also based on a comic book by Marvel. Unlike Peter Parker, Noir does not work as a journalist, but as a private detective in 1930s New York. He is known above all for striking first and then asking the questions. The first comic is still quite new and was not published until 2008.

Sadly, it is not yet known who his opponent will be, but we do know who will play him: Brendan Gleeson is set to play the villain. The Irish actor is known from movies such as "In Bruges" and most recently "The Banshees of Inisherin". We are very excited to discover which antagonist the makers have come up with and whether they will draw on the existing comics. However, if he is to play a rather grumpy and irritable character, the choice of Gleeson is perfect.

The character of Robbie Robertson will also be part of the series. Like Spider-Man, the editor works at the Daily Bugle newspaper. While he hasn't received much attention in the previous films, this is set to change in the new series. In the comic series, he is described as a determined and tenacious journalist who refuses to compromise on anything in order to advance his career. And he has to, because being a black journalist in New York in the 1930s wasn't easy. Robertson is played by Lamorne Morris, who achieved his breakthrough in the television series "New Girl".

Li Jun Li and Abraham Popoola have also already been confirmed as part of the cast. Li was last seen in "Babylon" and Popoola in the Netflix film "Atlas". However, it is not yet known which roles they will be playing in "Spider-Man Noir".

Plot

Little is known about the exact plot so far. However, we can of course deduce some things from the Spider-Man Noir comic. In the comic of the same name, Noir is an alternative version of Spider-Man set in a darker version of 1930s New York, which brings with it even more problems than it already had historically at the time of the Great Depression.

In the comics, this version of Peter Parker is a young journalist who fights against the oppression and corruption in his city. After witnessing the murder of his uncle Ben, Peter is bitten by a mysterious spider that gives him supernatural powers. Instead of wearing the colorful costumes of the traditional Spider-Man, Peter dresses in a dark outfit inspired by the fashion of the time and from then on takes on the role of a tough, merciless detective who creates his own laws. He fights classic villains from the Spider-Man universe, who are also reinterpreted in the style of the 1930s, such as Vulture and Norman Osborn.

Unlike the well-known version of Spider-Man, Noir is more brutal and does not shy away from using violence to enforce his justice. However, some sites have already suggested that we will see a washed-up Peter Parker looking back on his best days as a superhero. This also fits in with the casting of the no longer very young Cage. The character is constantly at war with himself, as unsolved cases and escaped criminals weigh heavily on his soul. We can therefore expect a story with more depth and a darker mood rather than a classic superhero story. What exactly will be shown of Noir's backstory and where the series will pick up remains to be seen.

Production

Sony and Amazon have already joined forces for "Silk: Spider Society", and the streaming giant has also been given the go-ahead for "Spider-Man Noir". The screenplay for "Spider-Man Noir" was penned by Oren Uziel, who previously worked on the scripts for the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" adaptation and "22 Jump Street". Uziel is also working as a producer on "Spider-Man Noir" together with the producers of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, as well as former Sony Pictures boss Amy Pascal.

The movie will be directed by Harry Bradbeer, known for his work on "Fleabag" and "Killing Eve". Filming is scheduled to begin in September 2024. It is not yet clear when exactly the series will be released on Amazon. We are of course hoping for a release in 2025, but this is still uncertain.