Sony Pictures has spent the better half of the decade trying to justify its hold on the Spider-Man franchise. Nothing about the saga has been the same after Sam Raimi’s beloved 2000s trilogy ended, and few attempts to recreate its magic have really borne fruit. But with 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony finally struck gold. The studio has wisely leaned into the world the animated film opened up, and we’re finally about to see the results of that pivot.
It’s been a long and bumpy road to build the Spider-Verse franchise. Though multiple spin-offs were in development, only one has made it out of purgatory. That’s Spider-Noir, a series set to follow the adventures of Nicholas Cage’s hard-boiled scene-stealer. Unlike the trilogy it’s spinning off from, Spider-Noir won’t be animated. That choice gave some fans pause when the project was first announced, but with its first official teaser now out in the world, it’s clear that Spider-Noir hasn’t sacrificed any style points by embracing live-action.
Sony has partnered with Amazon MGM to bring Spider-Man Noir into live-action. His solo series is reportedly set in 1930s New York, following Cage as an “aging, down on his luck” private investigator running from his past. While he once defended the city as Spider-Man, he’s seemingly abandoned that chapter of his life. But with New York slipping further into disrepair, they need a hero now more than ever.
The Spider-Noir teaser shows the hero embracing his great power and great responsibilities once more. Cage’s vigilante displays impressive super-speed, and we get a glimpse of his Spider Sense in action. It’s all laid out with hyperstylized black-and-white visuals, calling back to 2000s comic book adaptations like Sin City. If its story is as strong as its look, the Spider-Verse saga should be in great hands moving forward.
