‘Spider-Noir’ sets release date, teases first look of Nicolas Cage as The Spider and we're beyond excited
MGM+ and Prime Video left fans in a frenzy as they released the teaser trailer (in color and black & white) and seven first-look images of the live-action series 'Spider-Noir' on February 12. Set in an alternate universe within Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) franchise, it stars Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage as private investigator Ben Reilly, also known as The Spider. MGM+ and Prime Video will stream all eight episodes of the show in color and black & white, simultaneously. The series will premiere on MGM+’s linear broadcast channel on May 25 and will drop all episodes together for streaming on Prime Video on May 27.
Based on the Marvel comic 'Spider-Man Noir,' the series takes place in 1930s New York. The aging, fedora-wearing Ben Reilly is forced to confront his past and return to his superhero alter ego, which he abandoned years ago following a personal tragedy, after an extraordinary case comes knocking. The trailer sees him swinging across the city and also having a fight in a bar, hinting at the action-packed tone of the series. Ben's character was first seen onscreen in animated form in 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,' and the noir series will delve deeper into his backstory.
Cage shared how he approached the character during an exclusive interview with Esquire Magazine on February 10, telling the outlet, "For me, this character was 70 percent Bogart, and 30 percent Bugs Bunny. I was basically Mel Blanc doing Bogart, with that sarcastic sense of humor. But it’s a hundred percent me." On the other hand, the show's executive producer, Christopher Miller, told Esquire that Ben Reilly is "very different from the Peter Parker from the movies. He's older and jaded, and not afraid to punch a guy in the face drunkenly.” EP Phil Lord added, “He already had his Chinatown disillusionment moment that happened years and years ago.”
The show's supporting cast includes Lamorne Morris as journalist Robbie Robertson, Li Jun Li as the nightclub songstress and femme fatale Cat Hardy, and Karen Rodriguez as Reilly’s assistant detective and secretary, Janet. Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston, and Brendan Gleeson, as the mob boss Silvermane, round out the main cast. Among the guest stars are Lukas Haas (as Silvermane's henchman), Cameron Britton, Amy Aquino, Michael Kostroff, Joe Massingill, Cary Christopher, Whitney Rice, Andrew Caldwell, Scott MacArthur, Amanda Schull, Andrew Robinson, Richard Robichaux, and Kai Caster.
Emmy-winning director Harry Bradbeer, whose past credits include 'Fleabag' and 'Killing Eve,' has directed the first two episodes of 'Spider-Noir.' Nzingha Stewart is also onboard as director for a few episodes. Additionally, Oren Uziel (first episode), Christopher Chen (second episode), Megan Liao and Steve Lightfoot (third episode), Tori Sampson (fourth episode), Jennifer Frazin and Lightfoot (fifth episode), Jack Henderson (sixth episode), Bruce Marshall Romans (seventh episode), and Uziel (eighth episode) share writing credits for the series.
