With great power comes great responsibility. So why not share the load?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse had three directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. And now, as reported by Variety, the as-of-yet untitled Spider-Verse sequel will also have a trio of directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.
Powers is currently having an incredible "prestige film" season, coming off of an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay of One Night in Miami and an Oscar nomination for his co-directed Pixar film Soul. Dos Santos, making his feature debut, has helmed episodes of acclaimed animated television series like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, and Justice League Unlimited. And Thompson, also making his feature debut, was the Annie award-winning production designer of the first Spider-Verse, and has also production designed the two Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies. The trio gave this statement of their work on the film: "The crew behind the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set 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."
It was additionally announced that Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who produced the first Spider-Verse and helmed the first Lego Movie, are joining the film as screenwriters alongside David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). The writer-producers gave this statement on their new directors:
"We are so lucky to have Joaquim, Justin and Kemp on the Spider-Verse team. 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 2 is scheduled to hit theaters October 7, 2022.