Christopher Miller, writer for the Spider-Verse franchise, has addressed reports that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been even further delayed by Sony while providing a new update. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was delayed indefinitely over one year ago, with more concrete information yet to emerge from the filmmakers. It was recently reported, however, that the delay would likely be until 2027 at the earliest due to a significant creative overhaul, prompting music composer Daniel Pemberton to flout the rumors.
Now, the Spider-Verse franchise’s producer and writer, Christopher Miller, has backed up this response, while adding that the “reels are coming along nicely” in a post via X. Miller did, however, stop short of elaborating on when fans could expect to see Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse released in theaters.
The original report refuted by the Spider-Verse’s composer suggested that Sony wanted to overhaul the movie’s story, leading to a four-year gap between it and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Other individuals involved in its production, including Pavitr Prabhakar’s voice actor Karan Soni, have explained that the production schedules for these animated movies take significantly longer than their live-action counterparts. Soni’s comments came in early August as he clarified that recording would occur “in a few months.” This comment, taken with Miller’s, helps to clarify where Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is at in its production timeline.
Everything Appears To Be Going Ahead As Planned
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord produced both Spider-Verse movies and co-wrote Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with Dave Callaham. The two filmmakers worked on the franchise from the ground up, making Miller a foremost authority on the movies and their production schedules. His clarification that “nothing has been scrapped” should therefore be a particularly reassuring update, even if he didn’t divulge a more reliable release window.
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of Summer 2023 will have had an impact on the production schedule for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Miller’s comment that “the reels are coming along nicely” confirms that the story for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been finalized, as it is currently being animated. This also aligns with Soni’s statement that his contribution to the movie is soon to get underway. While it is difficult to ascertain just how far from release the movie is from these statements alone, it does not make much sense that Sony Pictures Animation would be interfering with production at this juncture, particularly after the huge success of the Spider-Verse trilogy thus far.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse were initially penned as one movie before they were split for runtime reasons. To edit the story of the sequel now, after such a significant cliffhanger, would only serve to muddle the final product. With that being said, animation takes time, and it may be that the Spider-Verse filmmakers are keen to ensure Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse ends the franchise with a flourish, cementing it as one of the greatest Spider-Man franchises of all time.
Sony’s Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Dates
Source: Christopher Miller/X
