Nicolas Cage is starring in a new live-action Spider-Man TV show as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, through which he’s breaking a 13-year Marvel streak. The superhero genre shows no signs of stopping, and its different connected universes continue to expand, some faster than others and some more successfully than others, as well. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps building its multiverse, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe keeps struggling after some truly disappointing movies, but it’s now ready to branch out to TV/streaming with various projects, and at the top of the list is a Spider-Man Noir live-action TV show.
Spider-Man Noir’s TV show, simply titled Noir, along with other live-action TV projects from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, will be executive produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the project was confirmed during Amazon’s Upfront presentation in May 2024. Nicolas Cage was revealed to be playing Spider-Man Noir after voicing the character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so it’s a fitting casting choice the audience is already familiar with – and not only does Cage already know the character well, but also knows the Marvel Universe, and with Noir, he’s finally breaking a 13-year Marvel streak.
As mentioned above, Nicolas Cage is no stranger to the Marvel Universe, and Noir is his return to it after 13 years. Back in 2007, Cage joined the Marvel Universe as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, Ghost Rider tells the origin story of Johnny Blaze, a famous motorcycle stuntman who, when he was 17 years old, gave his soul to the demon Mephistopheles to cure his father’s cancer. Mephistopheles promised to return, and when he did, a now-adult Johnny was transformed into the Ghost Rider and was tasked with defeating Blackheart in exchange for his soul.
Ghost Rider got negative reviews from critics, who found it disappointing, with bad jokes, exaggerated dialogue, and that it failed to bring the character’s essence to the big screen. Still, Ghost Rider was a box office success, granting it a sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, in 2012. In it, Johnny, still the Ghost Rider, had to protect a young boy who was believed to be a target of the devil’s henchmen.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance got an even worse critical reception than the first movie, with Cage stating he was done with Ghost Rider movies and that a third movie was no longer happening. Luckily, he didn’t rule out future Marvel roles, and he’s now back to live-action Marvel projects thanks to Noir.
Nicolas Cage’s acting style has stood out thanks to his charisma and for being quite flamboyant most of the time, which has also made him a divisive actor, though an entertaining one. Despite negative reviews, with many critics pointing out Cage’s performance as a flaw, many others praised Cage’s Ghost Rider for his unique weirdness, which will surely be present in his performance as Spider-Man Noir, as well. Cage can bring a very unique combination of darkness and humor to the live-action version of Spider-Man Noir, with a touch of tragedy, as well.
Nicolas Cage has many advantages as this isn’t his first live-action Marvel project and he already knows the character quite well – he just has to bring his voice performance to life. The superhero genre has changed a lot since Nicolas Cage played Ghost Rider, and he surely learned some valuable lessons from that experience, which makes his return as Spider-Man Noir more exciting and intriguing, as he can bring a completely different performance than expected.