Five years ago, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefined the comic-book movie.
Now, an ambitious sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, hopes to swing even higher.
Shameik Moore had a suspicion thatSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versemight be big.
Pavitr Prabhakar, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy suit up for ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’.Sony Pictures Animation
But even though he voiced teenage hero Miles Morales a.k.a.
the titular Spider-Man the actor didn’t realize quitehowbig the film would get.
“‘This is something special.'”
Miles and Gwen, just hanging around in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’.Sony Pictures Animation
A few months later, Moore was at the Oscars, celebratingSpider-Verse’swin for Best Animated Feature.
“We were like, ‘How do we get our hands on the Oscar?’
We slipped a selfie.”
Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) faces off against the Vulture (Jorma Taccone) in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’.Sony Pictures Animation
“It was winning all these awards, and it was like,Uh-oh.
These shoes just got much bigger to fill.”
Still, the filmmakers say they’re more than ready for the challenge.
If the first film was a surprise for audiences, they hopeAcross the Spider-Verseis an even bigger one.
After all, with great power comes great… Oh, you know.
“The first time, there was a lot of nervousness, like, is this going too far?
Is this going to be confusing to audiences because it doesn’t look like anything else?”
“Turns out, that was one of the things they loved about it.
He’s practically perfected his Spidey skills and finds himself juggling crime fighting with the perils of young adulthood.
“He’s almost getting bored with the robbers and the petty thefts.”
Plus, Miles isn’t the only one grappling with growing pains.
Halfway across the multiverse, Gwen is dealing with family drama of her own.
“She’s dealing with a lot of conflict this time around,” Steinfeld says.
“But her ultimate goal in life and priority is to help people.”
“Miles is in a place where he just wants to impress her,” Moore says.
“He will jump through a portal across dimensions to be with her.
“I’ll tell you something: I don’t!”
Steinfeld adds with a laugh.
The directors say some of their favorite days were when Moore and Steinfeld recorded in the booth together.
“I was like, ‘Get on the mic!
Save this for the scene!'”
The movie ping-pongs across multiple worlds, each with its own unique art style.
“These aren’t just little pools that we’re dipping a toe into.
These are fully realized, robust worlds that could frankly hold their own film.”
One of the most dazzling dimensions is Gwen’s home world.
“It’s very subjective,” Miller explains.
“We had to develop a way for the world to be always changing and painted at every moment.
It was very, very hard.
Each shot had to be lovingly handcrafted.”
“Then they hit play, and it started moving,” he says with awe.
Another key universe is the colorful Mumbattan, home to comics favorite Pavitr Prabhakar, a.k.a.
“The Benday printing process [using dots to create shading] is very visible.
Figuring out how to do that required a whole bunch of new tools.
Creating each universe wasn’t as simple as reskinning a cityscape in different color palettes.
“On this movie, we had to teach it how to paint.”
“Then it’s a ton of work.”
Those universes, of course, are all populated by their own Spider-People.
There’s even a Spider-Horse, who is you guessed it a horse.Insecure’sIssa Raevoices Jessica Drew, a.k.a.
But one of the most notable new Spideys is Miguel O’Hara, a.k.a.
“Let’s be honest: Oscar has an incredible amount of gravitas,” the director adds.
“When he wants to feel threatening, he can really,reallyfeel threatening.”
(Loose webs?)
Just like withInto the Spider-Verse, Miller says the sequel is reinventing how animated movies can be made.
“Anything that you might imagine, you might see cinematically.”
In the case ofAcross the Spider-Verse, it comes back to Miles and Gwen.
“They’re our North star,” Powers explains.
“Don’t forget: No one saw the firstSpider-Versecoming,” Powers says.
“I remember the chatter I heard, like, ‘Why do we need anotherSpider-Manmovie?’
And then it came out.
So, you’ve got to be really careful about trying to meet people’s expectations.
And with any luck, audiences will be willing to follow Miles and Gwen into any universe.
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