Spectacular news, Spider-Fans! Marvel and Sony Pictures have teamed up with Amazon Studios to bring multiple Spider-Man TV shows to Prime Video.
As reported by Diversity (opens in a new tab)Amazon has ordered a number of live-action Spider-Man spin-offs, the first being Silk: Spider Society, which will continue to develop Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) beyond its theatrical releases. Each show will debut on streaming service Amazon Prime Video worldwide and on MGM Plus – the platform formally known as Epix – in the United States.
Silk: Spider Society marks the first time Silk, the Korean-American superhero – real name Cindy Moon – will appear in a live-action Spider-Man project. Moon was portrayed by Tiffany Espensen in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. It’s unclear if Espensen will be revived to play superhero alias Moon in Amazon, Sony and Marvel’s small screen lineup.
We only know who will be involved in the production of Silk: Spider Society – and its core creative team is sure to excite the worldwide Spider-Man fan base. The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang will helm the series, while Phil Lord and Chris Miller – the visionaries behind the animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – will serve as executive producers. Kang and former Sony Pictures co-president Amy Pascal also serve as executive producers.
In a statement to Variety, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said, “Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Sony’s recent live-action and reimagining of the Spider-Man series represent some of the most dynamic superhero stories in film. Together with Angela Kang’s creative vision, we couldn’t be happier to bring Silk: Spider Society to our MGM Plus and Prime Video customers.”
Silk: Spider Society isn’t the only Spider-Man spin-off in the works. Videos featuring Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web are also in production, and the pair recently wrapped filming. Meanwhile, a third Venom movie has also been announced, with Tom Hardy reprising his role as Eddie Brock/Venom and Kelly Marcel joining as co-writer and director.
Analysis: weaving a web of intrigue
Without wanting to sound hyperbolic, it is big news regarding the evolving Spider-Man cinematic universe and the Marvel Multiverse that has been introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
For starters, we’ll see more Spider-People make their live debuts. So far, we’ve only seen webslinger Peter Parker in a live-action role, with three actors – Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and current cinematographer Tom Holland – portraying the role.
Madame Web is another spider-based heroine to appear in a live-action film, and Dakota Johnson is set to bring her to life. Meanwhile, Miles Morales starred in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which featured many other Spider-People including Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Pig, Spider-Gwen and Peni Parker. However, as we mentioned earlier, Into the Spider-Verse is an animated movie, so these characters have yet to crawl up the walls for a live-action superhero movie.
This deal with the Spider-Man TV show also has the potential to introduce more of Spider-People to a wider audience. There are many other Spider-Man-esque heroes that fans would love to see on the big and/or small screen, such as Ben Reilly, Anansi, Spider-X, Spider-Woman, and Spider-Man 2099. See some of these people in Spider-Man Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but again, it’s an animated movie. Apart from Silk, we would love nothing more than to see them in a live role.
Speaking of Silk, her arrival could potentially tie into Tom Holland’s Spider-Man adventures in the MCU and SSU.
In the comics, Cindy Moon is bitten by the same genetically enhanced spider that is Peter, giving her similar superpowers as her classmate. So it’s likely that a similar scenario could play out in the TV series Silk. If that happens, it will simultaneously tie her standalone show to the Dutch MCU Spider-Man movies – read more about those in our Spider-Man movies order guide – and make her a canon in the MCU.
Sony and Marvel also have a previous form of SSU and MCU merging. Venom: Let There be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home from 2021, as well as Morbius from 2022, contained many references to the Marvel and Sony cinematic universes. In the first two, Venom briefly crossed over into the MCU, while Morbius incorporated Vulture – a villain in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming – in a cameo role. Apparently, both studios are eager to bridge the gap between their movie franchises and bring different characters to each one.
And that’s what makes this Spider-Man Prime Video show so exciting. With this deal, we were able to see Holland’s Spider-Man appear on TV shows as well as future MCU/SSU movies. Rumors circulating online suggest Holland has signed a new deal with Marvel and Sony to appear in more Spider-Man-led projects, including on the small screen. How cool would it be to see Holland make a cameo in Silk or another Spider-Person TV series? Very, is the answer.
What about the former Spider-Men in Garfield and Maguire? If Sony can’t (or won’t) give them new silver-screen performances, why not see if they want to reprise their roles in one or more Spider-Man TV shows? Garfield has always said he’s open to returning to the role in some form, and with the duo playing wildly enjoyable supporting roles in No Way Home, the door is clearly open to one or both to return. It’s unlikely to be part of Marvel Phase 5, Phase 6, or any MCU production (other than potential appearances in Avengers: Secret Wars, anyway). So why not see if they want to star in the Spider-Man series instead?
The Spider-Man multiverse is as vast as all of Marvel’s characters, so the possibilities for Sony, Amazon, and Marvel are limitless when it comes to creating any Spider-Man show. There are over 900 Spider-Man characters to draw from, and with Into the Spider-Verse and the emergence of the MCU multiverse, viewers are more open to seeing characters and their multiverse counterparts interact in the same space. Madame Web and Across the Spider-Verse will only increase fan hopes for more crossovers, given that they will explore Spider-Verse in more detail in 2023.
It would be a dream to see Holland Spider-Man, Silk, actor Miles Morales, and even Ben Reilly strolling around New York – and this Spider-Man Prime Video deal gives us the best chance of making that a reality. So be it, everyone.
For more Spider-Man, Prime Video and Marvel content, check out our Spider-Man Movie Ranking. You can also find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order, check out the best Prime Video shows to stream, or find out why Marvel’s Spider-Man: Freshman Year animated series may have been cancelled.