'Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse' First Look Images Released

If any one upcoming animated film can be said to be most anticipated by fans, it's probably Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse. The third part in the Spider-Verse trilogy was originally scheduled to come out just a year after the second part, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, but was ultimately pushed back to 2027. With the release now a little over a year away, Sony Pictures Animation have released some first-look images from the film.

The Spider-Verse trilogy began in 2018 with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It introduced audiences for the first time to an alternative Spider-Man, in the form of Afro-Latino teen Miles Morales. Like Peter Parker before him, Miles was bitten by a radioactive spider that gifted him superpowers. The film also introduced the concept of the multiverse, that saw Miles team up with a selection of other spider-people, including an alternative middle-aged schlubby Peter Parker, Spider Gwen, Peter Porker (otherwise known as the Amazing Spider-Ham) and Spider-Man Noir. Produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, the film attracted a great deal of acclaim, going on to win the 2019 Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

2023's Across The Spider-Verse saw Miles leave his home dimension for an adventure across the Multiverse. There, he encounters a whole Spider Society of Spider-people (and cats and dinosaurs), and must face off against a new threat unlike anything he has seen yet. Lord and Miller returned as producers but this time Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson take over as directors. The second movie attracted similar levels of acclaim as the first film (although it missed out on the Oscar) and left us with one hell of a cliff-hanger.

Beyond The Spider-Verse will be written by Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Dave Callaham and is directed by series veterans Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson. The official synopsis reads:

Hunted by Miguel O’Hara’s Spider Society and betrayed by his friends, Miles finds himself in the darkest corners of the Spider-Verse in search of a way home. Knowing that his family has been not only fractured but endangered by his calling, it’s a race against the clock for Miles to travel across the wildest reaches of time and space to fight for and reunite everything he holds most dear.

This suggests that the threequel might incorporate a time travel element, which could be new and exciting territory for the franchise. Perhaps the older version of Miles we met at the end of the last film isn't from another dimension, but is from his future? It definitely opens up new storytelling possibilities.

The press release describes the film as the "final" chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, but this is unlikely to be the last we see of the franchise. There's room for further adventures of Miles, plus spin-offs are planned such as a female-led film and one starring Spider Punk. Spider-Man Noir is even getting his own live-action series starring Nicolas Cage.

The first-look images, which you can see above and below, give us our first taste of the third film, without giving too much away. We can expect some dynamic visuals, touching family scenes and the return of Spider-Punk. As for the rest of it, your guess is as good as ours. And we can't wait.

Barring any further delays, Spider-Verse: Beyond The Spider-Verse will be released in cinemas on June 20, 2027.