In case you forgot, “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” was a massive game changer in the world of animation and comic book movies. The film won Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards—being the first non-Disney/Pixar film to win the award since “Rango” (2011)— and with good reason. Technically, it was super innovative and transformative in its experimental animation techniques, and story-wise, well, it has heart, soul, thrills, spectacle, and humor. It’s arguably one of the best comic book movies ever made, period. The movie familiarized many audiences to Miles Morales, the new younger Spider-Man and a Black/Latino kid introduced into the comics in the 2000s. And now the much-anticipated sequel, “Spider-Man: Across The Universe,” is almost upon us.
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This time, “Spider-Man: Across The Universe” is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and the screenplay is by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (also producers) and David Callaham.
Much of the same voice cast returns, but there are also a ton of new Spider-People in the film. The movie stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacey, Jake Johnson as Peter Parker, plus Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham, and Oscar Isaac who turned up at the end of the original film as Spider-Man 2099.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Sony Pictures will release “Spider-Man: Across The Universe” in movie theaters on June 2, 2023. A sequel, “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” is expected to have a release date of March 29, 2024, but it’s been rumored to be moving. We’ll see soon. In the meantime, enjoy the new trailer for ‘Across The Universe’ and see how many Spider-People you can count.
