'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' sequel gets new directing trio

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the most acclaimed films of 2018. The computer-animated superhero film features Miles Morales as Spider-Man along with several other avatars of the character. The movie impressed the audience with its dazzling animation. Following its success, a sequel was announced and now it has got a new directing team.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel gets a new team of directors

Variety has reported that a new directing team has joined Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. It includes current Oscar nominee Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Justin K. Thompson. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are joining David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as credited screenwriters.

The trio has been working together on the project from the start. They said that the crew behind the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set such a "ridiculously high bar," and they are humbled to take on the challenge of charting the next chapter in the story of Miles Morales. While Dos Santos directing role was previously reported, the other two have been recently revealed. 

Kemp Powers is currently nominated for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for drama film One Night in Miami, which he adapted from his play by the same name. He is also the co-director of Pixar Animation Studios' current Academy Award-nominated feature Soul, making him the first Black filmmaker to reach director or co-director status at Pixar. Soul has already won Gloden Globe, Annie, Producers Guild, NAACP Image, and Critics' Choice awards for Best Animated movie. 

Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson are veterans at Sony Pictures Animations making their feature directorial debuts with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. Dos Santos' past credits include Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Justice League Unlimited, and Teen Titans. Thompson’s work as the production designer for the first Spider-Verse film won an Annie Award, and he was also the production designer on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller asserted that they are "so lucky" to have Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin Thompson, and Kemp Powers on the Spider-Verse team. They stated that they are huge fans of Joaquim’s work. He makes his characters so "heartfelt and unique," and he can tell an emotional story with an action sequence the way a musical does through a song. They noted that Justin is a "maverick filmmaker" who relentlessly pursues visual innovation and surprise but always in support of emotional storytelling.

The duo mentioned that Kemp’s work is "incisive and ambitious and funny". With a writer’s wisdom and a director’s heart, he just knows what matters in every scene. Lord and Miller said that all three of them elevate every project they take on, and they are certainly raising their game. They honestly just like them and want to be their friends and are hoping that work on this movie together for the next few years will totally make that happen.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was directed by Bob Persichetti, Ramsey and Rodney Rothman. It earned praises from the audiences and bought in $373.5 million at the worldwide box office. The movie won Oscar for Best Animated feature, becoming Sony’s first title to do so and many consider it to be the best Spider-Man movie ever made.

Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Christina Steinberg are all returning to produce the project, with Alonzo Ruvalcaba co-producing. Peter Ramsey will executive produce, along with Aditya Sood. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is set to swing in theatres on October 7, 2022. 

Promo Image Source: A still from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse