Is Nicolas Cage Really Playing Spider-Man?

Yes, Nicolas Cage really is playing a variant of Spider-Man in Amazon's upcoming series, Spider-Noir.

The show is a spin-off from Cage's role in Into The Spider-Verse, where he plays a private detective named Ben Reilly whose crime-fighting alter ego bears some clear similarities to Marvel's most iconic superhero.

'Spider-Noir' Is a Darker Take on Spider-Man

Amazon MGM has released the first-look photos of Spider-Noir, and it's immediately clear that this show is going to be very different from the MCU's version of Spider-Man with Tom Holland. Dripped in 1930s noir aesthetics, the show is both a parody and an homage to movies such as The Third Man or Double Indemnity. View the first-look images below:

Lamorne Morris and Li Jun Li join Cage in the project as Robbie Robertson and Cat Hardy, the protagonist's best friend and his femme fatale love interest, respectively. Karen Rodriguez also appears as Janet, one of the show's original characters.

"Janet is never going to let Ben off the hook, but she cares so much about him," explained showrunner Oren Uziel. "It’s a little three-headed team: Ben, Janet, and Robbie. They’re always solving the cases together in their own way.”

Cage first adopted the role of Ben Reilly in 2018's Intothe Spider-Verse, where he provided the voice of the animated character. This show, however, will bring the scene-stealing detective into live-action for the first time.

Many fans expect that it will lead directly into the events of Beyond The Spider-Verse, which is currently scheduled for a 2027 release and will presumably see Cage reprise his voice role.

The project is entirely separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Tom Holland remains the one and only web-swinger for now. He will return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July 2026. Spider-Noir takes place in an alternate reality, so it's unlikely that a version of Peter Parker even exists there.