The second instalment of Miles Morales’ Spider-Verse trilogy has hit cinemas this week, as speculation continues about whether fans will get a live-action version of the character.
Speaking to Sky’s Backstage podcast, Shameik Moore, the voice of the animated Spider-Man, said he’s “optimistic” about the prospect.
“I am Miles Morales, I am Spider-Man, and I think that applies to live action as well,” he said.
It’s after Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal seemed to confirm a number of upcoming projects for the superhero in an interview with Variety.
She suggested a live-action Miles Morales is in the works, as well as a Spider-Woman film, and a fourth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series starring Tom Holland.
Holland followed Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in portraying Peter Parker, but Morales – who debuted in the Marvel comics as the first black Spider-Man in 2011 – has not yet appeared in a live-action film.
“What’s meant to be will be,” said Moore when asked about the rumours – a sentiment echoed by Hailee Steinfeld, who voices the animated Spider-Woman, Gwen Stacy, when asked about her involvement in a Spider-Woman film.
“I think this is a Spider-Man like no other, so I’m very honoured to be part of this,” she said.
Moore and Steinfeld’s characters return after a hugely successful debut
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse follows 2018’s Into The Spider-Verse, which focused on Morales, a half-black, half-Puerto Rican superhero from Brooklyn.
First introduced to the comics by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli in 2011, the film grossed more than £300m worldwide and won an Academy Award for best animated feature.
“The first movie was astronomically challenging, and the team was working on it until the very last second,” said Sony Pictures Animation’s president Kristine Belson.
‘Ground-breaking’
Nearly 1,000 animators worked on the second film, which sees Miles catapulted across the multiverse as Spider-Man, where he encounters the Spider Society – a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the multiverse’s very existence.
“They’re doing ground-breaking stuff,” said Moore about the animators behind the film.
Steinfeld added: “They went down to the wire on this, which I feel we both have so much respect and admiration for the team. [They] did everything they possibly could to just perfect this thing up until the last moment.”
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Spider-Verse stars on film’s Easter eggs
Across The Spider-Verse will no doubt be jam-packed with Easter eggs – and Steinfeld said three come to mind.
But she refused to go into more detail so not to spoil the film or the third and final instalment, which is due for release in 2024.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is in cinemas now.
