Na new Spider-Man don land for television, but dis one no be your regular web-slinger. Nicolas Cage dey play Ben Reilly, a private investigator for 1930s New York wey don hang up his mask after im fiancée die. But when gangster Silvermane come for im head, Reilly get to become The Spider again.
Di series, wey dem call “Spider-Noir,” premiere for MGM+ on Monday and go start streaming for Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday. You fit watch am for black-and-white or color. Di showrunner Oren Uziel say dem plan am for black-and-white first, but Amazon ask for two versions.
Dis character no be di same Spider-Man Noir wey Cage voice for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” For dat movie, e be Peter Parker from 1933 wey like egg cream and dey fight Nazis. For dis new series, e be Ben Reilly, a name wey first appear for comics in 1975 as a clone of Peter Parker. But here, no clone matter – na original character.
Di cast include Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane, Lamorne Morris as journalist Robbie Robertson, Li Jun Li as nightclub singer Cat Hardy, and Jack Huston as Flint Marko, wey be Sandman for other Spider-Man stories. Abraham Popoola play Lonnie Lincoln, alias Tombstone.
Di show dey mix hardboiled detective story with superhero action. Uziel say dem dey try to find “superhero equivalent” of classic detective situations like femme fatale and heavy. Di production design dey beautiful, with art deco sets and costumes wey fit both black-and-white and color.
But some critics dey say di show dey lack narrative substance. Di Verge review say di series “so lacking in narrative substance that it feels like Sony has lost sight of what made its most successful Spider-Man projects shine.” Dem mention say Reilly’s arc dey follow classic Spider-Man beats wey dem don adapt many times before.
However, TheWrap review praise am as “year’s top TV treat so far,” saying e dey bring new energy to worn out conventions. Dem note say Cage dey bring “mature eccentricity and true aficionado’s delight” to di role.
Di series get eight episodes, and all go drop for MGM+ on May 25 and for Amazon Prime on May 27.
