Making live-action versions of successful animated films are all the rage these days. Disney has been doing it for years, and Dreamworks is looking to try their hand at making the transition with their upcoming How To Train Your Dragon remake.
So could Sony ever follow suit with their Spider-Verse franchise? And if so, would Peter B. Parker voice actor Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, The Mummy) be interested in making the leap from animation to live-action
Speaking to ComicBook, Johnson says he'd only consider playing the character in live-action under one condition.
"I really love how it is. I think the animation is great. I think for me, truthfully, it's all about Phil Lord and Chris Miller. If Phil Lord or Chris texted and said, 'We think this is really cool and we would like you to be part of it,' then I'm in."
"If it's Sony that says they have got a really fun idea and it's a new director who's at a great studio rate, I feel less excited about that. I think that a lot of this stuff is ... There's an element that's just money to make money, and projects just to make money. And then there's a few people who really care, and those people who really care, if it's them, I'm on board for anything."
The third installment in the wildly successful animated franchise is in development and is currently titled, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
It was originally slated to be released on March 29, 2024, but production issues and this past Summer's SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike have resulted in a significant delay. It's now thought that the third installment won't arrive until 2025.
Once Beyond the Spider-Verse is released, it seems inevitable that some further continuation of the franchise will occur if the film proves to be as critically and commercially successful as its predecessors.
Johnson went on to double down on his above statement, adding, 'If Phil says, 'Hey, man, you're not going to like this, but we're going to put you in tights in front of a green screen,' but it's him and it's Chris, I'm like, 'The project's going to be so thoughtful and good and mean so much to so many people, and if you think I could help that, f-ck yes, I'm in.' But in terms of me individually having a desire, I don't."
An animated spin-off series focusing on Hailee Steinfeld's Spider-Gwen and Issa Rae's Jessica Drew has already been announced but don't be surprised if a few years after Beyond the Spider-Verse hits theaters, Sony announces plans for a live-action remake.
These days, it seems the time between when an animated film hits theaters and when the live-action remake gets announced, is getting smaller and smaller.