Across the Spider-Verse will have a cliffhanger ending: "This is our Empire Strikes Back"
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may not be swinging into cinemas for another few weeks, but the team behind the animated movie is already thinking ahead – the directors say you should be just as excited for the sequel, Beyond The Spider-Verse, scheduled for release in March 2024.
"Across The Spider-Verse is a movie on its own, but it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger," co-director Kemp Powers tells SFX magazine in the new issue, featuring Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the cover. "I think it’s a good cliffhanger. We hope that it’s a satisfying tee-up for what’s coming in the third film, because you want people to be excited about what’s coming next.
"And it helps that we knew going in that this was part two of a three-part story. Since you already know that that third story is guaranteed, you can tackle it a bit differently. That being said, there’s a lot of key characters in this film, and there’s a story in this film that has an arc of its own that we needed to complete."
There's one sequel in particular that the team is quick to draw comparisons to. "I was very satisfied after The Empire Strikes Back," adds co-director Joaquim Dos Santos. "And hopefully, this is our Empire."
This comparison means that things probably won't end well for Miles Morales and friends – The Empire Strikes Back ends with Han in trouble and Luke trying to process the revelation that he's Darth Vader's son.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits the big screen on June 2. For more, check out our guide to the rest of the most exciting upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond.
Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device!
That's just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Strange New Worlds season 2 on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, May 17. For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
