Casting Spider-Man Noir In Sony’s Live-Action Show (If It’s Not Nic Cage)

A new Spider-Man Noir television show is in development at Amazon, starring the variant of the iconic Spider-Man character who lives in a 1930s-inspired reality within the Spider-Verse. However, it’s also been confirmed that this Spider-Man Noir will not be Peter Benjamin Parker as seen in the comics or the version featured in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie (voiced by Nicolas Cage). As a result, Sony and Amazon may be looking for a new actor to play one of Spider-Man’s most popular Spider-Verse variants.

Written by Orien Uziel with Into the Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller producing, the live-action Spider-Man Noir series will reportedly feature a major change with Noir being a new character as opposed to Peter B. Parker. As such, it has yet to be confirmed if Nic Cage will be reprising his role for the new live-action series or if Sony is looking for someone else to wear the black WWI aviator suit, goggles, and fedora. Here are some actors who should be considered for the role (if not Nicolas Cage).

5 Milo Ventimiglia

Beyond Nicolas Cage voicing Spider-Man Noir in the first Into the Spider-Verse film, the character was also voiced by Milo Ventimiglia in season 3 of the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors, which aired on Disney XD. Known for his roles on This is Us and NBCs Heroes, Ventimiglia has already proven he has the right voice for the role and can effectively capture Noir’s darker personality when compared to the main Spider-Man from Earth-616.

It should also be noted that Spider-Man Noir is younger than Ventimiglia (and Nicolas Cage) when he first starts out as a hero in the black and white streets of New York. However, he’s often portrayed as the veteran and more experienced hero among his fellow Spider variants. Additionally, Sony and Amazon are freer in their casting if their live-action version of Noir won’t be Peter B. Parker. The Spider-Man of Earth-90214 can be as old or as young as they want him to be.

4 Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be an exciting actor to duel wield Noir’s .45 caliber pistols along with his more traditional web-shooters. Having had a role in The Dark Knight Rises as a secret Robin to Christian Bale’s Batman, Donald Blake’s future as the next Batman was never fully realized on-screen. However, playing Spider-Man Noir would offer Gordon-Levitt a similarly dark comic book role.

Likewise, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also in another comic book adaption Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, a black and white sequel with similar crime themes Spider-Man Noir will no doubt be facing, including corrupt officials and enforcers for the mob. As such, Gordon-Levitt’s role in the film could easily be seen as a quasi-proof of concept. Although it’s not yet known if Sony and Amazon intend to have their Spider-Man Noir series set in black and white as well, it most likely will be considering how Noir’s reality has always been depicted both on-screen and on the page.

3 Miles Teller

Miles Teller would be another exciting actor who could play Spider-Man Noir. Although his biggest and most recent role has been in Top Gun: Maverick as Rooster, 2015 saw Teller playing Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic in the critically panned Fantastic Four reboot. As such, playing Spider-Man Noir could be a source of superhero redemption while also offering a vastly different character for Teller to take on.

Due to its setting in the 1930s, Spider-Man Noir will essentially be a period piece in the Great Depression era. As such, this would be an exciting and very new space for Miles Teller to show off his dynamic range as an actor. He’d certainly be capable of offering one-liners while also carrying the Noir’s increased levels of darkness compared to other heroes in the Spider-Verse.

2 Timothy Olyphant

Timothy Olyphant is another great choice to play Sony’s live-action Spider-Man Noir. Olyphant is most famous for his roles in Justified and Deadwood as gunslinging sheriffs and marshals. As such, Olyphant could easily step into the similar role that is Noir, who fights mobsters on a daily basis, all while wearing his stylish black fedora Olyphant would have absolutely no problem pulling off. Likewise, Timothy Olyphant has even played a marshal in the Star Wars galaxy, having appearances in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, an indication that he might have an interest in joining another big franchise series if asked.

While this would be another actor on the older side to play a variant of the iconic Marvel hero, Spider-Man Noir is distinct enough that it could certainly work. Especially if the live-action series is set in the late 1930s and early 1940s, near the beginning of WWII, the door would be open for Spider-Man Noir to fight both the mob and Nazis simultaneously. Likewise, it would also allow for an older actor to take on the dynamic role as well.

1 Could Nicolas Cage Return As Spider-Man Noir In The Live-Action Show?

Unfortunately, Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Spider-Man Noir from Into the Spider-Verse seems unlikely. Although Into the Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller are helping produce the new show for Sony and Amazon, the fact that this version of Spider-Man Noir won’t be Peter Parker seems like a strong indicator that someone new will be taking on the role instead. Likewise, Cage isn’t returning for Across the Spider-Verse as Noir either.

Whoever ends up under the black mask and goggles, there’s no denying that a live-action Spider-Man Noirseries is just as ambitious as it is exciting. In the comics, Spider-Man Noir was one of the first Spider variants Peter Parker ever met in the Spider-Verse. As such, it makes perfect sense that he’d become one of the first to get his very own live-action series as Sony begins building its own cinematic universe centered around Peter Parker’s Spider-Man.