Miles Morales may be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe someday, but in the meantime, Sony will be giving the black-and-red Spider-Man his big screen debut with the animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” with the film’s first extended loook on Monday.
Writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller introduced very rough footage showing a super-charming Morales at CinemaCon. Morales dons the Spider-Man mask in a comic world where several people are empowered to do the same.
In addition to impressive fight sequences and a hot soundtrack, the “Lego Movie” team also showed some heart for “Spider-Verse” — in the form of Miles’ doting father, an NYPD officer voiced by Mahershala Ali.
“He’s half Puerto Rican and half African American, he’s the product of a happy and alive family,” Lord and Miller told to the crowd at the Forum Theater at Caesar’s Palace about Morales, making references to Peter Parker’s unfortunate family situation.
“It’s really true that anyone can wear the mask,” said Shameik Moore, who voices Miles.
Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Miles Morales was introduced to the comic book world in 2011 as part of the Ultimate Marvel universe, a timeline separate from the main Marvel world. In that series, the Ultimate incarnation of Peter Parker was killed off, with Miles stepping in as the new New York webslinger. After the Ultimate Universe ended in 2015, Miles joined the main Marvel universe as the new protector of the Big Apple, as the main timeline’s Peter Parker took on villains around the world.
“Venom” is the first in a series of planned “Spider-Man” spinoffs that Sony plans to release in coming years, including the animated Miles Morales film “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse,” due out December 14, and the Silver Sable/Black Cat spinoff “Silver & Black,” which has Gina Prince-Bythewood attached as director and is slated to be released next year.
However, those Spidey-spinoffs are unlikely to be connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Last summer during the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” press tour, Amy Pascal told journalists that “Venom” will take place “in the same world” as the MCU. But Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige fairly decisively shut that down, saying in a separate interview that “there is no plan for Venom in the MCU. It’s a Sony Project.”
Jamaican-American rapper Shameik Moore will play Miles, with Mahershala Ali and Liev Schreiber also lending their voices. “The Lego Movie” co-director Phil Lord wrote the script, with Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman directing.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” arrives in theaters December 14. Watch the trailer above.