In an unforeseen turn of events, Sony Pictures has decided to take the sequel to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, titled Beyond the Spider-Verse, off its release schedule indefinitely. This significant shift comes in the wake of ongoing strikes by both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), reported Variety.
Originally scheduled for a March 29, 2024 release, the voice cast of Beyond the Spider-Verse now finds themselves unable to complete their work in time due to these work stoppages.
Several rumors of delays have circulated in recent months, with the film’s producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller taking an evasive stance over whether a delay might be on the cards. Anonymous insiders within the animation team had voiced doubts about the feasibility of the original release date as well. So, if nothing else, this only confirms the worst-case scenario that fans were somehow expecting.
Under current conditions, neither writers nor actors who are members of their respective guilds can perform any work on a film in production without specific waivers. Likewise, they’re prohibited from promoting any projects, past or future. These strikes have led to a cascade of delays and rescheduling of numerous Sony films, including the live-action Spider-Man spin-off, Kraven the Hunter, now expected to be released on August 30, 2024, among several others.
Beyond the Spider-Verse was highly anticipated by fans after Across the Spider-Verse left things off on a cliffhanger ending. The recent revelation, though, doesn’t feel surprising if you’ve been following the news surrounding the sequel, mainly its production.
Aside from the ongoing strike, controversies loomed over the production of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, sullying its massive box office take. The situation points to the dirty underbelly of the animation industry, as valid concerns around animated crunch and mistreatment surfaced. An anonymous animator highlighted that dozens if not hundreds of members of the animation team had quit during production due to the gruesome working hours. This implies that, even if the strike didn’t happen, it would be optimistic to expect the film to be ready in a year unless Sony overworked the writers and animators into the ground.
Fans are now hoping that Sony, and other employers, give creatives enough space and time to create a high-quality movie, even if it takes a lot longer to premiere.
A common sentiment all over the internet is for studios to realize that delays shouldn’t just be targeted toward finishing a movie to make them do better with audiences. Instead, companies should consider delaying production or setting extensive deadlines to make artist conditions more crunch-averse.
Overall, these changes are a part of a larger industry standstill due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) has been unyielding in meeting the guilds’ demands, leading to an expectation that these strikes will continue for a while. As a result, several other events, like the annual Emmys ceremony, have also had to be rescheduled.
Ultimately, despite the disappointment of fans eagerly awaiting the sequel, many hope this will lead to improved conditions for animators and a better product in the end.
Until then, fans and industry watchers will have to wait and see how Sony Pictures manages this intricate web of challenges.
Thankfully, Insomniac Games and PlayStation Studios, in general, appear to have done a better job caring for employees. At the moment, Spider-Man fans can look forward to playing as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales when Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 comes out on October 20.
