Nicolas Cage says his new live-action series Spider-Noir is designed to give viewers a choice between two visual experiences: black and white, styled “like an old movie,” or a highly saturated color version meant to intensify the show’s atmosphere. Cage said he performed the title role with black-and-white presentation in mind and called the dual-format release “a little revolutionary.” The actor, 62, hopes the noir option will also appeal to younger viewers who may not be familiar with classic black-and-white films.
The series, which was developed by Oren Uziel for Prime Video and MGM+, is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir. It reimagines an older, harder-edged Peter Parker, named Ben Reilly in the show, who works as a private investigator in 1930s New York while facing unresolved issues from his past. The project blends superhero elements with the mood and storytelling style of film noir, a 1940s American genre known for cynical heroes, crime-centered plots and themes of moral ambiguity and existential tension.
Cage stars in the series alongside Lamorne Morris, who plays newspaper editor Robbie Robertson, Li Jun Li as nightclub singer Cat Hardy and Brendan Gleeson as Irish mob boss Silvermane. Uziel said he was motivated to develop the show after seeing how strongly the character stood out in Sony’s animated Spider-Verse films from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. He said Lord and Miller were enthusiastic about helping turn the character into a standalone live-action series and came on board as producers.
The creative team says the aim of Spider-Noir is to connect two audiences that do not always overlap: Marvel fans and noir fans. Cage, Uziel and Gleeson all expressed hope that the series could introduce younger viewers to the noir tradition while also bringing longtime noir audiences into the superhero space. Gleeson said he expects fans of the Spider-Verse films may be encouraged to explore older noir movies, while noir enthusiasts may find the superhero adaptation appealing in its own right.
The series will begin streaming on Wednesday on Prime Video.
