It seems like Phil Lord, and Chris Miller can’t sit still. They have “Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” coming early next year. Lord and Miller serve as Executive Producers and Writers on that upcoming flick. Today they’ve given us a trailer for “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse,” where they serve in the same capacity.
A New Spider-Man
Set in a different universe than ours, Spider-Man finds a kid that seems to share his powers named Miles Morales voiced by Shameik Moore. In this telling of the story, Peter Parker trains Miles Morales to be his own type of Spider-Man. In the original comic books created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Spider-Man dies before he can step into the role.
Miles is the son of an African-American father and Puerto Rican mother. Bendis has gone on record stating that Miles came to mind after seeing Donald Glover wear Spider-Man pajamas on an episode of the TV series “Community.” Glover was campaigning on Twitter for the lead role over Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and it was an inspiration.
In an interview with USA Today Bendis exclaimed, “He looked fantastic! I saw him in the costume and thought, ‘I would like to read that book’. So I was glad I was writing that book.”
He continued, “It’s certainly long overdue, even though there’s some amazing African-American and minority characters bouncing around in all the superhero universes, it’s still crazy lopsided.”
Change Is Good
The creation and implementation of Miles Morales have been huge boons to the Spider-Man mythos. Many more diverse characters have joined the ranks since, including Gwen Stacy’s “Spider-Gwen” played by Hailee Steinfeld. This allows creators to tell more stories that don’t involve Peter trying to bumble through life trying to be Spidey.
I love Jake Johnson’s (New Girl) casting as Peter Parker/Spider-Man though. The take on Peter for this movie seems like a 30 something that appears to have little regard for himself. This Spidey is completely immersed in the work. The Miles and Gwen characters are sure to break him out of his funk and create some fun dynamics. The relationships between Peter and Miles and Miles and his dad are sure to bring some great moments as well.
The character change also brings a vibe shift. For the first time in a Spider-Man movie, we’ll get some hip-hop to set the tone. The trailer features the banger “Where I Belong Now” by Vince Staples.
The Official Synopsis
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse hits theaters on December 14, 2018.
