Sony announced Tuesday through Deadline that the Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse animated movie has Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson as the directors of the film.
The announcement has confused fans as it’s been thought Beyond The Spider-Verse has been worked on for some time, but why then announce the directors now?
Chris Miller, producer on the Spider-Verse films, took to X (formerly Twitter) in an attempt to clear up any confusion. Miller said Persichetti and Thompson have always been the Beyond The Spider-Verse directors:
To anyone confused: Bob and Justin are not the *new* directors, they have been the directors of BTSV the entire time — and doing a great job. They were just announced today.
The article by Deadline makes it sound as if Beyond The Spider-Verse has only recently founds its directors:
EXCLUSIVE: The final film in Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse trilogy has found its directors as Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson have been set to helm Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Persichetti and Thompson also released a statement through the site confirming they are the directors:
“We have had the immense privilege of being part of Miles’ journey from the very beginning, and directing the conclusion to his story is beyond exciting,” said Persichetti and Thompson. “The creativity and care poured into every minute of this project has been truly inspiring. We have crafted what we feel is a very satisfying ending, and we can’t wait for fans to experience it – we’re bringing everything we’ve got!”
As did Lord and Miller:
“Bob and Justin’s fingerprints are woven into the DNA of these films, and their passion for Miles’ journey shines through in every frame of his last adventure,” said Lord and Miller. “There is nothing more rewarding than collaborating with creative partners with bold vision and brilliant execution like Bob and Justin. We are thrilled to work with them once again to create a beautiful and satisfying conclusion to this story.”
Some fans also thought the same team behind Across the Spider-Verse would be back to finish things. It’s unknown if Joaquim Dos Santos and Kemp Powers are involved; however, IMDb lists them as directing Beyond the Spider-Verse when that is apparently not the case.
Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse has also seen significant delays. The film was supposed to originally be released last March, following the June 2023 release of Across the Spider-Verse. No official release date has been announced. The two films combined have brought in over a billion dollars, with Across the Spider-Verse bringing in nearly $700 million and topping the Netflix charts when it was released on streaming.
