It’s been said that with great power comes great responsibility. No one knows that at the moment quite like “Spider-Noir” co-showrunner Oren Uziel, who was tasked with introducing an entire classic film genre to a younger generation of superhero fans.
“One of the headlines of the show is: ‘With No Power Comes No Responsibility.’ This is the exact opposite. It’s a real responsibility, and I felt that,” Uziel told TheWrap at Sony Pictures Television’s FYC event on the Sony lot earlier this month. “This is one of those characters who is the most beloved in the world.”
“If this is their first experience with film noir, there’s a hundred-plus movies that they can dive into that are my favorite things in the world and feel very modern, even though they were made in the ’40s,” he added. “It’s not like anything anyone’s ever seen before. The fact that we’re presenting it in black-and-white and color, in two different versions, is really pretty unique. I’m not sure it’s ever been done before — and after having gone through the process of making it, I understand why. Enormously challenging. But now that I’m back through it all on the other end, I’m so happy to have gotten the chance.”
“Spider-Noir” places Nicolas Cage’s character from the “Spider-Verse” movies into his own alternate timeline separate from Sony’s Spider-Man franchise. The new MGM+ and Prime Video series “tells the story of Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York who is forced to grapple with his past life following a deeply personal tragedy as the city’s one and only superhero,” per the logline.
“When I met him, there was an immediate connection because he loves film noir, so he knew all the references I was referencing and he also loves the comic book world,” Uziel said of working with the Oscar-winning actor. “We knew exactly what kind of chocolate and peanut butter combination we were trying to make from the start.”
Cage stars alongside Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston and Brendan Gleeson in the adaptation of the Marvel comic book series.
“The cool thing about this is there’s something for everybody. A lot of times, when you get put in a category, you’re stuck in that category. This show has everything. Yes, it’s a noir; it’s got some of those elements — the mystery, the cool, nostalgic look and tone and texture — but it’s also a romance and a comedy,” Morris also noted. “If that’s not enough, it’s a damn screamer of a show. We’ve got villains and Spider-Man and Nic Cage. This cast is unbelievable … I think fans will get a kick out of it, they’ll really dig it.”
“In today’s world, it’s hard to stay relevant and do something original and unique — and that’s what they’ve accomplished in folds. On set, everybody felt a bit of buzz and excitement that we were working on something cool and new,” Huston told TheWrap. “I love just how off-the-wall the whole thing is. It’s not what you’d expect. It plays onto that whole noir-esque dramedy, there’s fast-talking, hard drama and comedy, but also special effects playing into the ‘Spider-verse.’ You know, my grandfather was one of the original creator/directors of film noir with ‘The Maltese Falcon.’ So, it was very funny speaking with Nic and Oren, using that in these same studios where they were shooting these movies seventy-plus years ago.”
“This is definitely a superhero show for everyone, you don’t have to know anything about superheroes,” Uziel teased. “And if you love noir, I think you’ll love this show and you might gain an appreciation for superheroes from it.”
“Spider-Noir” premieres Monday on MGM+ and streams Wednesday on Prime Video.
