The upcoming Spider-Noir series is shaping up to be one of the most unusual superhero shows ever made, and the biggest surprise has nothing to do with its black-and-white filter option. Nicolas Cage is not playing Peter Parker. He is not even playing a man named Spider-Man.
New details from a major Esquire feature, combined with officially released first-look images and confirmed casting announcements, reveal that Spider-Noir is deliberately distancing itself from everything audiences associate with the classic web-slinger. Instead of a teenage boy gaining powers, this show follows Ben Reilly, a broken private investigator in 1930s New York who operates under the pulp-era hero name ‘The Spider.’
Here is everything confirmed about who Cage is really playing, why the change happened, and when you can watch the eight-episode season.
Nicolas Cage Plays Ben Reilly, Not Peter Parker—And There Is A Story Reason
The character Cage portrays in Spider-Noir is Ben Reilly, a name longtime Marvel readers recognize as the clone of Peter Parker introduced in the 1970s comics. But this version is not a clone story in the sci-fi sense. The creative team chose the name specifically to separate the character from the usual origin .
Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller explained to Esquire that Peter Parker represents youth, optimism, and the “great responsibility” speech. Ben Reilly represents something else entirely.
“This character’s very different from the Peter Parker from the movies. He’s older and jaded, and not afraid to punch a guy in the face drunkenly. He already had his Chinatown disillusionment moment that happened years and years ago.” – Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, producers
The series logline confirms Ben Reilly is a “seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York” who walked away from his hero life after a personal tragedy. An assassination case involving crime boss Silvermane forces him back into the fray .
Co-showrunner Oren Uziel stated that a teenage hero simply would not fit this world. The team needed a protagonist who already carries decades of disappointment. Ben Reilly allowed them to keep the spider-theme while abandoning the high school energy .
He Is Called ‘The Spider’—Not Spider-Man—And That Changes Everything
The character never uses the name Spider-Man. He operates as ‘The Spider,’ a deliberate choice echoing 1930s pulp heroes like The Shadow or The Spider from vintage magazine serials .
This is not a cosmetic change. The title reflects the show’s entire creative philosophy. Spider-Noir is not a superhero show dressed in noir clothing. It is a noir detective story where the detective happens to wear a mask and web-shooters.
Cage emphasized that the character speaks differently, moves differently, and thinks differently because he comes from an era where detectives solved cases with their fists and their wits, not with billionaire gadgets or gamma radiation .
70 Percent Humphrey Bogart, 30 Percent Bugs Bunny: Cage Breaks Down His Preparation
Nicolas Cage approached this role like a film studies professor designing a bizarre science experiment. He told Esquire that his performance is “70 percent Bogart and 30 percent Bugs Bunny” —and he meant it literally .
Cage studied Humphrey Bogart films extensively, particularly The Maltese Falcon, to capture the cadence and weary authority of 1940s noir leading men. Then he filtered that through Mel Blanc’s vocal performance as Bugs Bunny, creating what he calls a “sarcastic sense of humor” that feels simultaneously vintage and completely original .
“For me, this character was 70 percent Bogart and 30 percent Bugs Bunny. I was basically Mel Blanc doing Bogart, with that sarcastic sense of humor. But it’s a hundred percent me.” – Nicolas Cage
He also studied James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson, but noted that Bogart himself often seemed like a cartoon character compared to the actors around him. That heightened, almost surreal charisma is exactly what Cage wants to bring to Ben Reilly .
Crucially, Cage confirmed there is an in-universe explanation for why Ben Reilly speaks this way. “There’s an actual reason, an origin story, why Ben talks the way he talks. But you’ll get to that in a later episode,” he revealed .
Lord added that Cage described the character as “a spider trying to cosplay as a human.” That one sentence apparently sold the entire creative team on his approach .
The Cast: Sandman, Black Cat, Silvermane, And Ben’s Supporting Team
Spider-Noir features a roster of Marvel characters reimagined for the Depression-era setting. None of them wear spandex. None of them have code names in the dialogue. They are people who happen to share names with famous comic book villains.
| Character | Actor | Role in Spider-Noir |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Reilly | Nicolas Cage | Private investigator / The Spider |
| Robbie Robertson | Lamorne Morris | Journalist, Ben’s best friend |
| Cat Hardy | Li Jun Li | Nightclub singer, femme fatale (Black Cat variant) |
| Janet | Karen Rodriguez | Ben’s secretary, comic book fan |
| Silvermane | Brendan Gleeson | Crime boss, the main target |
| Flint Marko | Jack Huston | Hired muscle (Sandman variant) |
Flint Marko appears as “hired muscle” for Silvermane, though it remains unclear if he possesses sand-based powers. The character is played by Jack Huston .
Cat Hardy is explicitly a variant of Felicia Hardy / Black Cat. Li Jun Li plays her as a 1930s nightclub star modeled on Anna May Wong, concealing layered motivations beneath her glamorous surface .
Robbie Robertson works at the Daily Bugle and remains fiercely loyal to Ben. Janet, Ben’s secretary, is described as “smart, scrappy and loyal”—a Girl Friday type who reads comic books and never lets Ben off the hook .
Brendan Gleeson portrays crime boss Silvermane, the target of the assassination attempts that drag Ben back into the hero business .
Episode Count, Runtime, And Two Ways To Watch
Spider-Noir will run for eight episodes. This is shorter than typical streaming series, reflecting the tight, serialized mystery format inspired by classic noir cinema .
The show offers a unique viewing option previously seen in films like Logan (Noir version) and Mad Max: Fury Road (Black and Chrome). Viewers can watch in “Authentic Black & White” or “True-Hue Full Colour” depending on personal preference. First-look images were released in both formats .
Harry Bradbeer, who directed Fleabag and Killing Eve, helmed the first two episodes. Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street, Mortal Kombat) and Steve Lightfoot (The Punisher, Hannibal) serve as co-showrunners .
Spring 2026 Release: Prime Video And MGM+ Details
Spider-Noir will premiere in Spring 2026. No specific date has been announced as of February 2026 .
The release follows a dual-platform strategy:
- United States: First airs on MGM+ linear broadcast channel
- Global: Available the next day on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories
This marks Nicolas Cage’s first leading role in a television series in his entire career. He previously voiced the animated Spider-Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) but was never the primary protagonist of that ensemble film .
Global audiences in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India will access the series exclusively through Prime Video immediately after the U.S. linear debut.
Also Read:
Why This Version Of Spider-Man Exists Separately From Tom Holland
Spider-Noir is not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland remains the sole big-screen Spider-Man for MCU projects, returning in July 2026 for Spider-Man: Brand New Day .
The show exists in its own alternate reality, continuing the multiverse framework established in the Spider-Verse animated films. However, producers confirmed that Peter Parker likely does not exist at all in this world. Ben Reilly is the only spider-theme hero this New York has ever seen .
Sony Pictures Television produces the series, with Lord, Miller, and Amy Pascal (producers of the Spider-Verse films) heavily involved. This ensures tonal consistency with the animated movies while allowing Spider-Noir to function as a completely standalone crime drama .
The show does not require viewers to watch any other Marvel content. It is designed as an entry point for people who have never read a comic book but love period detective stories.
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