Spider-Man fans have much to look forward to in 2026 as Tom Holland returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while the animated seriesYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set to release its second season this fall. Among these projects, the most unique is Spider-Noir, a live-action series featuring Nicolas Cage voicing the hard-boiled detective version of Spider-Man. This show, produced by Prime Video and MGM+, offers an intense, stylized take on the superhero, blending noir elements with the story of Ben Reilly, a different iteration of the character often portrayed as a Spider-Man clone.
The series is overseen by showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot, with the original Spider-Verse writers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord involved as executive producers. In an interview about their film Project Hail Mary, Miller described Spider-Noir as “a delight,” while Lord praised its recent trailer and Cage’s portrayal of a gritty, world-weary detective. Lord explained Cage’s creative approach, saying,
“That trailer is great. They did a wonderful job. He’s amazing. He had this great idea, which was, ‘I want to play this like a spider pretending to be a person.’”
– Phil Lord, Executive Producer
A Dark Take on Spider-Man Through Ben Reilly’s Eyes
Distinct from the usual Peter Parker narrative, Spider-Noir follows Ben Reilly as a down-and-out private investigator in 1930s New York. After a painful loss, he abandoned his role as the superhero known as The Spider, living a quieter, shadowed life until a case forces him back into action. Nicholas Cage’s idea—playing someone who is essentially a spider mimicking human behavior—inspired Miller’s development of the character’s mindset. Miller elaborated,
Image of: Nicolas Cage
“Like, ‘After what happened to me, I’m more spider than person, and I have to act like a human in public, and in private I can be my true self.’”
– Christopher Miller, Executive Producer
Lord added that Reilly’s outsider status drives much of his behavior, noting,
“So he sometimes goes to the movies, his character, and practices and studies what the actors are doing so he can use it in his real life.”
– Phil Lord, Executive Producer
The Series’ Stylistic Commitment to Noir Traditions
Spider-Noir pays tribute to the visual and narrative style of classic film noir detective stories. The series was deliberately filmed in black and white, with an alternative “true hue” Technicolor style developed post-production for viewers to appreciate both aesthetics. Lord explained,
“We shot it natively with black and white, and then after the fact, for fun, we created this weird sort of Technicolor hybrid thing that we call ‘true hue,’”
adding,
“We basically create our own weird, old-timey color style, and so you get to watch it twice if you want.”
– Phil Lord, Executive Producer
The trailer reflects this homage through its gritty shadows and classic noir camera work.
The creative team included directors like Harry Bradbeer, known for Enola Holmes, who specialize in noir storytelling. Miller emphasized the directors’ true passion for the genre, saying,
“Every director was very excited, too, and were noir aficionados, and had been dying to do something like this. It was an opportunity to do something artistic with shadows and Dutch angles and all the crazy things that you associate with noir, but people also sometimes just do it as, like, a filigree, and this was like the heart of it, the storytelling, was there.”
– Christopher Miller, Executive Producer
Possibility of Multiple Seasons for ‘Spider-Noir’
Spider-Noir draws upon a long history that traces back to the Marvel Noir comics introduced in 2009. When asked whether the series is a one-off or has potential to expand, Lord indicated that it is designed to allow continuation beyond its initial story. Miller joked about someone trying to tell more than one Spider-Man story, saying,
“A Spider-Man thing telling more than one story? I don’t know,”
and Lord replied with a laugh,
“Impossible!”
to which Miller added,
“It cannot be done!”
.
Philosophical and Cinematic Ambitions Reflected in ‘Project Hail Mary’
While Lord and Miller expand the Spider-Man universe on television, they are also focused on their upcoming major film Project Hail Mary, which adapts Andy Weir’s novel. The story centers on Ryland Grace, an unlikely astronaut portrayed by Ryan Gosling, who wakes up light-years from Earth with a failing memory after a critical mission to save the sun. As Grace recalls his past and role, the film explores themes of survival and scientific ingenuity, enriched by a cast that includes Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub. Directed by Lord and Miller with a screenplay by Drew Goddard, the film is anticipated as a major release of the year.
Release Details and Cast Highlights for ‘Spider-Noir’
Spider-Noir will debut on May 25 on MGM+’s linear broadcast channel, with all episodes available on Prime Video starting May 27. The show stars Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, also known as the noir Spider-Man, alongside Lamorne Morris portraying Robbie Robertson. Brendan Gleeson and Abraham Popoola complete the primary cast, bringing depth to this stylized vision of a darker Spider-Man.
