Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse co-writer and producer Christopher Miller recently clarified his previous comments regarding the upcoming animated movie's 240-strong cast of characters.

On social media, Miller addressed potential concerns that Across the Spider-Verse's sprawling roster will shift its focus away from established lead characters like Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. He wrote that "amidst the universe-hopping there are 240 unique characters... but they're mostly minor or background characters." Miller further added that while the scope of the highly anticipated film is indeed vast, "the story is personal [and] centers on Miles and his family, along [with] Gwen and a handful of others."

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The award-winning filmmaker previously noted that Across the Spider-Verse is "way, way bigger" than its predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Aside from hyping the sequel's 240 character headcount (which is 200 hundred more than were featured in Into the Spider-Verse), Miller confirmed it takes place across five new universes and required the largest production team of any animated movie ever made.

Along with his long-time writing partner Phil Lord, Miller recently presented the Across the Spider-Verse panel at CinemaCon 2022. Not only did the pair reveal that the movie's direct sequel is now titled Beyond the Spider-Verse instead of Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two), they also screened an early cut of Across the Spider-Verse's first 15 minutes. Among other things, this footage confirmed the cause of the multiversal fractures said to drive the sequel's plot.

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Lord and Miller's presentation also gave fans their first glimpse at Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew, voiced by Insecure's Issa Rae. This version of the character appears to be pregnant and swings into action alongside Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099, played by Oscar Isaac. Isaac previously voiced this futuristic incarnation of Spidey during Into the Spider-Verse's post-credits sting. This brief yet memorable scene saw him engage in a hilarious argument with the protagonist of the 1967 Spider-Man animated series.

The star recently divulged what makes Miguel O'Hara unique from the other wall-crawling variants who show up in Across the Spider-Verse. "The thing I can say is, what makes this character so funny is that he's the one Spider-Man that doesn't have a sense of humor," Isaac said. "Because all of them act like -- they're like wisecracks, right? Everybody wisecracks, except this guy just doesn't. He's a very serious Spider-Man."

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse arrives in theaters on June 2, 2023, while Beyond the Spider-Verse hits cinemas on March 29, 2024.

Source: Twitter