Jason Schwartzman has joined the cast of “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse”, the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” The “Rushmore” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” actor will lend his voice to Marvel villain The Spot.
Sony and Marvel announced the news on Monday morning, giving fans their first look at the black and white villain in action. Unfortunately, Miles hasn’t quite adjusted to The Spot’s powers yet, and it apparently results in him kicking Spider Gwen in the face, as they take The Spot on together.
You can check out Sony’s first look at Schwartzman’s character below.
In the comics, The Spot is known as just “Spot.” He first appeared in 1985, as part of “Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #98,” and was created by Al Milgrom and Herb Trimpe. Spot’s real name is Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, and he was a scientist working for Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber in the first “Spider-Verse” film).
Ohnn was tasked with finding a way to artificially mimic the powers of Cloak, who could send people into the Dark Dimension, as well as teleport himself. In his research, Ohnn managed to create a solid black circular portal. But doing that required a lot of power, resulting in a citywide blackout. As the portal started to destabilize and disappear, Ohnn jumped into it.
But, instead of ending up in the dark dimension, he found himself in a different dimension entirely — fitting for the premise of “Across the Spider-Verse.” This dimension was half dark and half light, which would account for his black-and-white aesthetic, and Ohnn was surrounded by multiple portals.
He managed to escape, but upon his return, those portals had attached themselves to Ohnn directly, making him appear as if he was covered in, well, spots. Of course, because they are still portals, landing a blow on the villain is tricky, hence Miles’s foot to Gwen’s face.
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and “Soul” co-director Kemp Powers, with Sony Pictures Animation and Sony ImageWorks handling the stylistic animation.
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord return to produce and co-wrote the screenplay (alongside David Callaham). Shameik Moore again stars alongside Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson, along with new Spider-Verse recruits Issa Rae (as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman) and Oscar Isaac (as Miguel O’ Hara / Spider-Man 2099).
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” hits theaters on June 3, 2023, with a further sequel, “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” slated for release in 2024.
