Across the Spider-Verse Will Have a Totally Different Art Style for Every Dimension
2 min readSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will lean into its eclectic mix of art styles with a different style for each dimension.
During an interview with Collider, filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller explained their “ambitious” approach to the Spider-Verse sequel.
“It is, as Phil said, a very ambitious sequel because we didn’t want to just sort of do the same thing again,” said Miller, who co-wrote the script. “And so, the idea that we’d be going to different dimensions really opened up an opportunity artistically to have each world have its own art style, and to be able to push the folks at ImageWorks to develop a way to have each dimension feel like it was drawn by a different artist’s hand.”
We already got a taste of the different styles from other parts of the Spider-Verse in the previous film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
There, we were introduced to Spider-Man Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage), Spider-Ham (voiced by John Mulaney), and Peni Parker (voiced by Kimiko Glen) among others – each new Spider-Man appearing with their own unique art style. But while the characters clearly leaned into retro comic book and animé stylings, it looks as though entire dimensions will now get a unique look and feel in the upcoming sequel.
“Seeing the development of that stuff is breathtaking,” added Miller, “and really, it’s the reason we keep doing it because it’s so hard to get it right.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Miller has spoken about the sequel’s impressive art style.
“The development of new groundbreaking art techniques being done for the next Spider-Verse movie are already blowing me away,” he said previously. “It’s going to make the first movie look quaint.”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gained critical acclaim for its interdimensional story and vibrant art style. Focussing on the origin story of Miles Morales, the film was a huge hit and gained an instant following of Spider-Fans. Now, the upcoming sequel looks set to push boundaries yet again.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacey, Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, and Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker.
Although Tom Holland was approached for Into the Spider-Verse, nothing ever came of it. But that could leave the door open for an appearance in the upcoming sequel. Especially after recent multidimensional shenanigans in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller will produce the film alongside Avi Arad, Amy Pascal and Christina Steinberg. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson will direct the movie, based on a script by Lord, Miller, and David Callaham.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse debuts in theaters on October 7, 2022.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
