Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is still hanging around in movie theaters, pulling in good money but the big bosses over at Sony Pictures Animation isn’t about to wrap itself inside a cocoon and wait until next year. Taking advantage of the unbelievable amount of hype surrounding the critical darling, the franchise’s producers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, talked about Across the Spider-Verse’s sequel, which comes out next year.
In an interview on the Crew Call with Anthony D’Alessandro podcast, Lord and Miller dropped hints about the inclusion of different incarnations of Gwen Stacy in the upcoming threequel. “Currently, yes,” confirmed Lord, with Miller adding, “It’s on the page. I think that… these things evolve as they go.”
There are clear signs that the development of the movie continues to shape up intriguingly, and this inclusion seems set to be a thrilling part of the plot.
The multi-dimensional premise of the trilogy, which asserts the existence of nearly infinite versions of Spider-Man, has been a defining characteristic of the Spider-Verse narrative. Key events or ‘canon events’ that transpire in every Spider-Man’s life are consistent across dimensions – the death of a police captain, the loss of an uncle, or the transformative spider bite.
In this spectrum of shared experiences, the tragic death of Gwen Stacy emerges as another poignant ‘canon event.’ But, in a surprising twist, the Spider-Verse’s version of Gwen, known as Spider-Gwen, has so far evaded this doomed fate. Still, the upcoming film may see other Gwens not as lucky.
Teasing their fans further, Lord and Miller hinted at a specific version of Gwen Stacy they are particularly excited about. This undisclosed version, they confirmed, will play a significant role in the plot. However, they kept details under wraps, maintaining the suspense and excitement for their eager audience.
Some speculate that Lord and Miller will take creative liberties by introducing a Gwenom into the mix. In the comic books, the Earth-65 Gwen Stacy loses her Spider-Man powers and bond with the symbiote of her universe. However, the most recent storyline involves her traveling back and forth between Earth-65 and Earth-616, adopting a new nickname, Ghost-Spider, after her identity became public.
Of course, since we’re already talking about creative freedom, Lord and Miller might as well do the same thing they did to Miles Morales and introduce a unique earth that’s parallel to Earth-65 where another Gwen Stacy miraculously survives only to become a villain version of themselves.
Either way, their creative geniuses more than deserve the benefit of the doubt.
But, with so many plot threads to unravel, we’re curious to see just how much longer the film is going to be compared to Across the Spider-Verse.
For now, fans will just have to sit tight and wait for the movie to release on March 29, 2024.
