‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ Sequel Now Has A Trio Of Directors: Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos, And Justin K. Thompson
Sony Pictures Animation has webbed a trio ofSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versesequel directors.
Way back in 2018, it wasreportedthatJoaquim Dos Santos(Avatar: The Last Airbender) would be leading the charge behind the scenes on the new sequel, but a new report says he’ll be joined byKemp Powers(Soul) andSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseproduction designerJustin K. Thompson.
Varietybrings word that Thompson, Powers, and Dos Santos are all directing the still-untitledInto the Spider-Versesequel, noting that the three men “have been working together on the project from the start.” That means the producers had an especially good eye for talent, since they hired Powers years before he blew up in 2020 with the one-two punch ofOne Night in MiamiandSoul. This will be the feature directing debut for Dos Santos, who has lots of experience directing animated television shows likeJustice League Unlimited,Avatar: The Last Airbender, andThe Legend of Korra. It will be the first directing credit of any kind for Thompson, who has been the production designer of bothCloudy with a Chance of Meatballsmovies and the firstSpider-Verse, where his contributions were publicly called out by that movie’s directors multiple times.
“The crew behind theSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseset such a ridiculously high bar, and we’re humbled to take on the challenge of charting the next chapter in the story of Miles Morales,” the trio said in a statement. The first film was a visual and emotional stunner that changed what Hollywood thought was possible in mainstream animation and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
Phil Lord,Chris Miller,Amy Pascal,Avi Arad, andChristina Steinbergwill be back to produce the sequel, while one of the original directors,Peter Ramsey, will serve as an executive producer this time. Lord and Miller are now officially co-writing the script withDave Callaham(The Expendables,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
“We are so lucky to have Joaquim, Justin and Kemp on the ‘Spider-Verse’ team,” Lord and Miller said in a statement. “We 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. Justin is a maverick filmmaker who relentlessly pursues visual innovation and surprise but always in support of the emotional storytelling. 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. All three of them elevate every project they take on, and they are certainly raising our game. We honestly just like them and want to be their friends and we’re hoping working on this movie together for the next few years will totally make that happen.”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2is slated to hit theaters onOctober 7,2022.
