Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse writers and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller just revealed the real reason why the threequel has been delayed by three years.
After the second film in the animated trilogy, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, was released in 2023, Sony had planned for the next installment to arrive in theaters less than a year later. However, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was eventually taken off the calendar before finally getting a June 2027 release date.
While the Hollywood strikes played a role, various production issues forced Sony’s hand as well. Now, Lord and Miller have revealed what really happened behind the scenes. During an interview with Gizmodo, the duo admitted that the grand scale of Beyond the Spider-Verse kept changing.
After initially planning for one movie, Miller thought that “there was too much movie there, so it was separated into two.” However, that turned into a major problem because it became apparent that the second half of the film didn’t have a “story arc that has a beginning, middle and end” to justify splitting it into two parts.
Miller: “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 not just a story arc that has a beginning, middle, and end.’”
Even though the ending was mapped out, Lord and Miller struggled with the middle.
They finally realized what kind of story they were telling, with Lord adding, “We came upon a really wonderful notion, when 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?” That was the breakthrough the writers needed to finish the script.
Lord: “We know where it’s headed, but we need to understand better what’s happening in the middle. 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?”
The first two Spider-Verse movies were widely praised by critics and audiences, with Into the Spider-Verse receiving scores of 97% and 93%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes, and Across the Spider-Verse earning a 95% from both critics and audiences. The box office numbers pulled in similarly impressive results, with the first film grossing $394 million and the sequel grossing $690 million.
That put a lot of pressure on Lord and Miller to get Beyond the Spider-Verse just right. The writers and producers acknowledged that it’s not just external forces like fans and critics giving them that anxiety.
They’re putting the pressure on themselves as well because, as Miller explained, they want 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.” That desire for perfection has been a huge motivating factor this entire time.
Miller: “We put the most pressure on ourselves. 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.”
It may have taken a while to get to this point, but it sounds like the multi-hyphenate filmmakers are glad they and their team were given the time to experiment and see what worked and what didn’t.
Miller added, “Having to take it apart to put it back together again was really, really [the] real thing that made it take longer.”
Lord: “The main trick is to play free, 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.”
Miller: “Having to take it apart to put it back together again was really, really [the] real thing that made it take longer.”
Lord: “And then we took a small detour [directing Project Hail Mary].”
Even though fans are having to wait longer for the final film, Lord and Miller believe it’ll be worth the wait.
Shameik Moore is returning as the voice of Miles Morales/Spider-Man. His Spider-Verse co-stars include Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya and Marvin Jones III. Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson are back as co-directors, with Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Jinko Gotoh serving as producers alongside Lord and Miller.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will be released in theaters on Friday, June 18, 2027.
Release Date
June 25, 2027
Director
Bob Persichetti, Justin K. Thompson
Writers
Dave Callaham, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Producers
Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Jinko Gotoh