We often forget about the fact Nicolas Cage actually played Spider-Man, but he was easily one of the best parts of the amazing animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. With a return on the horizon in Beyond the Spider-Verse after Across the Spider-Verse’s cliffhanger ending, could he also put on the suit for real in the upcoming Spider-Man Noir live-action series?
The show, which is being developed by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon (much like the long-in-the-works Silk series), recruited The Punisher’s Steve Lightfoot last year as co-showrunner, teasing that the powers that be want a genuinely dark tone for this new live-action iteration of the wall-crawler. Now, Cage was asked by Collider’s Steve Weintraub at SXSW 2024 about his future as Spider-Man and whether it includes returning to the role outside of animation.
Long story short: There have been conversations, but nothing has been decided yet. Looking at Silk’s long creative road, we wouldn’t be surprised if this one follows the same route. Here’s Cage’s full quote: “Well, I can say that we have been talking. It’s no secret that I love the character. I think the character provides another mash up of sorts. I can combine my favorite golden age performances, i.e. Robinson, Cagney, Bogart, with a character that is, I guess, widely considered [to be] Stan Lee’s masterpiece. I see it as a kind of foray into a pop art mash up of, sort of, a [Jungian] Lichtenstein, mash up by way of Bogart and Cagney, but nothing’s definitive yet. It’s just conversation.”
As always, the renowned actor isn’t shy and offers a colorful answer, yet he knows little more than us at this point. However, we must remember he’s recently expressed interest in leaving movies behind and maybe trying his luck with TV. This, coupled with his love for Spider-Man, lines up perfectly with the potential show, so maybe this could end up happening after all.
As far as we know, both Silk and Spider-Man Noir are being developed as standalone series that wouldn’t be connected to Sony’s ongoing Spider-Man-adjacent universe nor the Spider-Verse movies. Next up from them in cinemas, after Madame Web’s massive flop, are Kraven the Hunter (August 30) and Venom 3 (October 25).