We finally know why Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was delayed for so long. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse kicked the franchise off with a bang in 2018. It took five years, but audiences finally got a sequel with Across the Spider-Verse in 2023. Originally, the third installment was due to arrive in 2024. However, it got pushed back by several years. Now, producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller have shed light on why that happened.
In a recent interview with Gizmodo to promote their new movie Project Hail Mary, Lord and Miller discussed Beyond the Spider-Verse. As Miller explained, originally, Across and Beyond were one movie. Then, it turned into two. That’s where it all started. Here’s what he had to say.
“At one point it was one movie, but there was too much movie there, so it was separated into two. But then once you looked at that second half of a movie, you’re like, ‘Well, that’s like not just a story arc that has a beginning, middle, and end.”
“We know where it’s headed, but we need to understand better what’s happening in the middle,” Lord added. “And we came upon a really wonderful notion, which is when your family is broken apart by your calling, your talents, how do you put them back together? How do you have it all?”
“Having to take it apart to put it back together again was really, really [the] real thing that made it take longer,” Miller said, with Lord then adding, “And then we took a small detour.”
Beyond the Spider-Verse was finally given a June 2027 release date last year. But a three-year delay is no small thing. Naturally, people wondered if there were problems. As Lord and Miller tell it, this was a decision made for purely creative reasons. Reasons which Sony evidently backed for the betterment of the franchise.
Here is the synopsis for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
“Miles Morales returns in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the highly-anticipated conclusion to the Spider-Verse saga.”
Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson are co-directing Beyond the Spider-Verse. As of right now, specifically plot details largely remain under wraps. That said, the ending of Across the Spider-Verse was a sizable cliffhanger. It didn’t resolve itself and put a neat bow on things. There’s very much a lot that needs resolving for Miles Morales and his multiversal pals.
“We put the most pressure on ourselves,” Miller added. “There’s no one that puts more pressure on us than ourselves, wanting to outdo ourselves each time and see things that you haven’t seen before and make it feel like something you’ve never experienced before. And so, trying to get something that is as worthy as the previous two has been the driver.”
“The main trick is to play free,” Lord concluded. “And to have the whole team understand that their job is to try stuff. To make mistakes, to see where this could go. And I can report that they’re going hard. It’s so great.”
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 4, 2027.
What do you think? Are you happy the filmmakers are taking their time? Are you looking forward to the sequel? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
