A Spider-Verse: Across the Spider-Verse animator compared the upcoming sequel’s plans to Avengers: Endgame.
Sony Pictures Animation’s Across the Spider-Verse is set to be one of the most anticipated films of 2023, as it attempts to strike lightning twice, following up on the uber-popular Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The film follows Miles Morales, played by Shameik Moore, as he journeys through the Spider-Verse and “[begins] to discover his place in the world.”
It is expected to be a massive film, and it has been showcased as such, but one animator who worked on the title teased that it could have been even bigger, like Endgame big.
Also, Read Mary Jane Watson recently received superpowers from Marvel.
Across the Spider-Verse vs. Endgame
Ere Santos, the lead character animator on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, revealed in an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Klein Felt that the film was originally intended to be an Avengers: Endgame-style conclusion to the Spider-Verse franchise.
Santos stated that when he first started working on the film and received initial pitches, it was assumed that this and the upcoming third Spider-Verse film would be combined into a “two-and-a-half-hour” film:
“‘Wait, so this is a two-and-a-half-hour movie?’ we wondered. They’re telling a very big story. And with all of the arcs that they wanted to include, we were expecting an intense, quick, fast-paced, high-energy film.”
He revealed that the producers were “planning [some] Endgame-Esque stuff” for the Into the Spider-Verse sequel at first:
However, it would have been beneficial. What they were planning would have been akin to ‘Endgame-style stuff. As if it were enormous. And what they have planned is still massive.
When Across the Spider-Verse was delayed and given the Part One moniker (which was later removed), the team realized they could “[spread things] out” and “[give everything] that breathing room [the team] felt [the film] really needed:”
But then kind of spreading it out and into two gives it that breathing room we all felt that it really needed to kind of go, ‘Okay, what do you what do we need to set up in the second movie? And how will it be resolved in the third film? Or not?’ I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“At the beginning, [the film] was insanely ambitious,” he lamented. It’s still “super ambitious” after the delay, but the animation studio no longer has to “try to fit two movies into one:”
“It was a really ambitious film, and it was insanely ambitious at the start, compared to what it is now. It’s still extremely ambitious, but it’s essentially like trying to fit two movies into one. But things can now breathe a little easier.”
Santos also discussed what it was like to learn about the delay, saying that “It didn’t catch [them] off guard. But, at the same time, it surprised [them]:”
“At the time, the entire production was a lot of fun and excitement, but it was also a lot of work. And a lot of that was due to things constantly changing, one of which was the release date. We expected it to be like this: you’re supposed to finish something in a certain amount of time, and you’re not even close, and you’re not going to finish it without insane amounts of crunch. It didn’t, however, surprise us. But, at the same time, it surprised us.”
Can Fans Still Look Forward to Spider-Verse: Endgame?
As Santos mentioned above, just because Endgame-like plans were part of the Spider-Verse sequel before it was split in two does not mean they are no longer in the works. While a jam-packed single-movie conclusion was originally planned, it has now been replaced by two more leisurely-paced animated blockbusters.
However, nothing appears to have changed in terms of the story as a result of this change. It will be the same epic conclusion, just stretched out over two films.
This will allow characters like Miles, Gwen, and Peter to grow, even more, storylines to be fleshed out, and breathing room for everyone (including the animators working on the film).
This is going to be a Multiversal story for the ages, as evidenced by the small teases from Across the Spider-Verse. And if audiences can expect a story as sprawling as this one in the second film, imagine what might come in the eventual third film.
Also, Read MCU Rumor Reveals Sentry Solo Project In the Marvel