Nicolas Cage to Play Ben Reilly in ‘Spider-Noir’

Not Your Neighborhood Peter Parker: Nicolas Cage to Play Ben Reilly in ‘Spider-Noir’

LOS ANGELES — The mystery behind the fedora has finally been unmasked. In a move that has sent shockwaves through the Marvel multiverse, showrunners for the upcoming live-action series Spider-Noir have confirmed that Nicolas Cage will not be playing the iconic Peter Parker. Instead, the Academy Award winner will portray Ben Reilly, a gritty, jaded private investigator who operates under the alias “The Spider.”

The revelation came alongside a wave of first-look images released by MGM+ and Prime Video yesterday, showcasing Cage in both "Authentic Black & White" and "True-Hue Full Color" versions of the 1930s-set series.

The Choice of Ben Reilly

While Cage famously voiced a version of Peter Parker in the 2018 animated film Into the Spider-Verse, the producers of the live-action spin-off wanted a protagonist that better fit the cynical, hard-boiled tone of a traditional noir.

“Peter Parker feels very synonymous with a high school kid. Boyish. On his way up,” co-showrunner Oren Uziel explained in an exclusive feature with Esquire. “[Ben] could be more easily adjusted to fit a pessimistic misanthrope. The reason he’s named Ben Reilly is explained—we’ll leave it at that.”

In Marvel Comics lore, Ben Reilly is traditionally known as a clone of Peter Parker, though the series appears to be reinventing him as a standalone, "aging and down-on-his-luck" hero who has already seen his best days pass him by.

“70% Bogart, 30% Bugs Bunny”

Cage, known for his eccentric and deeply committed performances, described his take on the character as a unique hybrid of cinematic archetypes. He told reporters that he drew inspiration from the "frozen-in-time" gravity of Humphrey Bogart while maintaining a touch of the "anarchic energy" of Bugs Bunny.

The series follows Reilly as he is pulled out of "heroic retirement" by an extraordinary case involving a web of corruption in New York City. Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller teased that this version of the web-slinger is “not afraid to punch a guy in the face drunkenly,” marking a significant departure from the "friendly neighborhood" morality of mainstream Spider-Man films.

A Rogue’s Gallery Refashioned

The first-look images also introduced the supporting cast, who have been "noir-ified" into 1930s archetypes:

• Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane: A philosophical mob boss and the series’ primary antagonist.

• Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy: A femme fatale nightclub singer at New York’s premiere club, serving as a reimagining of Felicia Hardy (Black Cat).

• Lamorne Morris as Robbie Robertson: A dedicated journalist and Reilly’s optimistic foil.

• Jack Huston as Flint Marko: Introduced as hired muscle for the mob, a nod to the villain Sandman.

Coming This Spring

The series is currently slated for a Spring 2026 release. In an innovative move for streaming, viewers will have the option to watch the entire series in its "Authentic Black & White" format designed to mimic the monochromatic look of 1940s cinema classics, or in a colorized version that producers say looks like a vintage Marvel comic book.

As the first live-action leading role in a television series for Nicolas Cage, Spider-Noir is shaping up to be the most experimental entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to date.