Brendan Gleeson
| Photo Credit: Luke MacGregor
Amazon’s highly anticipated Spider-Man Noir series has confirmed an eight-episode run and announced that Brendan Gleeson will join the cast as the main villain. Gleeson will star alongside Nicolas Cage, who was previously announced as the series lead, and Lamorne Morris, who was recently cast.
The series, titled Spider-Noir, was formally ordered in May and will premiere domestically on MGM+ before being available globally on Amazon Prime Video.
Spider-Noir is set in 1930s New York and follows an aging, down-on-his-luck private investigator, played by Cage, who grapples with his past life as the city’s sole superhero. While details about Gleeson’s character remain under wraps, it is confirmed that he will portray the series’ antagonist.
This casting news follows Gleeson’s acclaimed performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. His TV credits include the crime drama Mr. Mercedes, based on Stephen King’s Bill Hodges novels, and the Showtime miniseries The Comey Rule, where he portrayed President Donald Trump. Gleeson also won an Emmy in 2009 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the TV movie Into the Storm. In film, Gleeson is also known for his roles in In Bruges, The Guard, Calvary, the Harry Potter franchise, Braveheart, and Gangs of New York.
Spider-Noir is the brainchild of Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot, who serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. The series is developed in collaboration with the Into the Spider-Verse team of Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal, all of whom are also executive producers. Harry Bradbeer will direct the first two episodes and serve as an executive producer. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, with Lord and Miller currently under an overall deal at Sony.
This series marks the second project announced under the Amazon and Sony partnership to develop Marvel character projects associated with Spider-Man that Sony controls. The first, Silk: Spider Society, was originally greenlit in 2022 but will not move forward at Amazon.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Cage discussed his approach to the unique version of Spider-Man. He emphasized his desire to bring a Golden Age aura to the character, embracing the enigmatic nature of Spider-Man Noir. Cage’s signature larger-than-life performances and mysterious on-screen presence are expected to enhance the character’s depth and allure.
Cage described the live-action Spider-Man Noir TV series as a “Pop-art mashup, like a Lichtenstein painting,” adding that it would have “some sparkle to it.”