‘Spider-Noir’ TV series sews superhero suspense with noir-style story

Nicolas Cage says his new live-action series “Spider-Noir” will offer viewers a distinctive experience, with the option to watch it in black and white — “like an old movie” — or in highly saturated color designed to heighten visual intensity. He hopes the noir presentation will engage younger audiences who may be less familiar with black-and-white films.

Film noir, a 1940s American style, is known for its cynical protagonists, crime-driven plots, and existential themes. Cage said he crafted his performance as the title character, specifically for black and white, calling the dual-format release “a little revolutionary.”

The series, developed by Oren Uziel for Prime Video and MGM+, is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir. It follows an older, hard-edged Peter Parker — here named Ben Reilly — working as a private investigator in 1930s New York while confronting his past.

Cage stars alongside Lamorne Morris as newspaper editor Robbie Robertson, Li Jun Li as nightclub singer Cat Hardy, and Brendan Gleeson as Irish mob boss Silvermane.

After being inspired by the character’s popularity in Sony’s animated "Spider-Verse" films by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Uziel was keen to bring the duo on board as producers of "Spider-Noir."

“I think that character really popped in those (“Spider-Verse”) movies, and they (Lord and Miller) were excited to try and create a standalone show for it,” Uziel said.

Cage, Uziel, and Gleeson all hope the show brings Marvel and noir audiences together, introducing younger viewers to the genre while drawing noir fans into the superhero world.

“I would hope it'll open up a world for both directions,” Gleeson said, noting his optimism that “Spider-Verse” fans will gravitate toward some noir films and vice versa.

The series begins streaming on Wednesday on Prime Video.

-Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Matt SilversteinEditing by Rod Nickel/Reuters