Sony Pictures Animation kicked off the first day of Annecy 2022 with a first look at Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, heading to theaters next summer. Most of the footage shown was a repeat of what was shown at CinemaCon in April, but this presentation came from the directing team of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin Thompson. The big reveals out of the panel were a few voice casting announcements, new information about the film’s main villain, and a deeper exploration of the innovative new technology created for the project.
After an introduction from Kevin Noel, Sony’s SVP of Production and a video greeting from writer/producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the directors took the stage. The film opens in Earth-65, aka Spider-Gwen’s universe, which is styled after the watercolor Marvel Comics. The colors and textures of her world are driven by her emotions, which required new technological enhancements to be developed by Imageworks. Test footage was shown of how these tools can be applied to any geometric element, making watercolors appear to bleed on paper and become objects.
Oscar Isaac will voice Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099. He’s a scientist from the future with a presence more imposing than any other Spider-Man. His suit is made of nanotech, he uses claws to cling to the side of buildings, he shoots lasers instead of webs, and his suit can morph to include flying wings. Marvel Comics artist Rick Leonardi was brought on board to help design the character in the film and the team closely studied the way he draws, which inspired new inking technology used on the character. “It allows us to infuse the hand of the original artist and comics into our picture,” Joaquim Dos Santos said of the technology.
Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman from Earth-404, is voiced by Issa Rae. Artist Brian Stelfreeze lent his talent to her design in the film and his unique ink lines and watercolor textures from the comics were adapted into a visual language for the character. As the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew becomes a mentor to Gwen Stacy in the film.
Kemp Powers shared that Miles Morales required a redesign for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse because he’s grown since the last film. Now 15-years-old and taller than his mom, this also changed the way he moves when swinging from his webs. He has also redesigned his suit and tweaked his logo, giving the character a different look from the first film. One thing that remains the same as before is his voice, Shameik Moore.
(Sony/Marvel)
The biggest reveal out of the presentation was that Spot will be the big villain, considered to be a deep cut from Marvel Comics, but a character essential to this story. His whole body is made up of dimensional portals and we got to see test animation of how these spots appear and change, with the character transforming into something more menacing as he learns to control his powers. He’s capable of grabbing his spots and throwing them at characters, sending them into other dimensions. He will be voiced by Jason Schwartzman. While photography wasn’t allowed during the panel, Sony Pictures Animation made concept art of the character available online as soon as it was shown in the panel.
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