One of the most popular searches on Google in June was probably about when Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse would be released. While the highly anticipated sequel to Across the Spider-Verse was expected to be released in March next year, Sony has since removed the film from its release schedule and delayed it indefinitely – and a new update does little to clear things up.
There has been no news regarding when Sony plans to release the animated film, but in a recent interview with Digital Spy, producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller offered a rather ambiguous update on when fans can expect the new film, saying it will be released “when it’s ready.”
Those conversations are thankfully above our paygrade, but I can tell you we’re already hard at work on it, and we’ll take the time it takes to make it great.
What we’re trying to accomplish with the film is have it be the most satisfying conclusion to the story than it can be, and take it to places that you haven’t been before. And make you laugh and cry, and cheer and think.
This might not be the positive update we were waiting to hear, but it certainly has a silver lining. One of the major reasons why Sony has opted to delay Beyond the Spider-Verse is due to the on-going strikes in Hollywood.
The members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike since May 2, and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has also joined them on the picket lines as of one month ago.
With no resolution in sight, and writers and actors registered to these guilds unable to work on any ongoing or new projects for the foreseeable future, delaying the upcoming Spider-Verse film was inevitable.
Adding to this, there were already doubts about whether Sony would be able to release the threequel in such a short turnaround. Animators involved in the second film reportedly had to work overtime for extended periods of time just to meet the set deadline for the film’s release, which resulted in hundreds of animators quitting during production.
Now that the general public has cast a cold eye on studios and producers who enforce toxic work environments, especially for animators, Sony will be much more careful about how it treats its employees. The benefit of this is that animators will likely have more time to work on projects without the endemic crunch culture rearing its ugly head once again.
How long it will take before we can finally return to theaters to see how Miles Morales protects his family from the Spot is anyone’s guess. But for those who can appreciate that good things take time, the wait will definitely be worthwhile. In the meantime, PlayStation fans can look forward to stepping into Miles Morales’ shoes once Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 drops on October 20.
