Sony’s next chapter in the Spider-Verse franchise is heading in a noticeably different creative direction, signaling a visual shift that could redefine the animated series’ signature style.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the third installment following Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2027. While plot details remain tightly guarded, newly disclosed production decisions point to a significant behind-the-scenes evolution.
In a recent discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Animation executives Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville revealed that the studio has enlisted a live-action director of photography for the first time in the franchise. Cinematographer Alice Brooks, known for her live-action work, has been brought in to guide camera language and visual framing — a departure from the workflow used in the earlier films.
The move suggests Sony is blending filmmaking techniques traditionally associated with live-action cinema into its animation pipeline. According to de Froberville, this adjustment is designed not only to expand visual possibilities but also to improve production efficiency.
Addressing prior reports about demanding schedules on Across the Spider-Verse, Belson emphasized the voluntary nature of creative assignments, stating, “Nobody has to work on a show they don’t want to work on. Even though you’ll hear — whether it’s Spider-Verse or other shows — that people go through these really difficult crunch times, everybody wants to be on the most ambitious and most exciting shows.”
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De Froberville detailed structural refinements intended to reduce late-stage revisions, explaining, “We made some changes to the pipeline to, not avoid — because Chris and Phil are always going to iterate late — but to lessen the amount of iteration on the back end. We brought on a live-action DP, Alice Brooks. She’s been directing camera in a way that we hadn’t done on Spider-Verse before.”
He added that earlier visualization and story development now allow creative leaders, including producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord, to experiment sooner in the process. “Because the directors and Chris and Phil have a chance to iterate so much early on while we’re in story, and truly visualize what it’s going look like by the time those sequences flow into the Imageworks pipeline, there’s way less changes,” he said.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is currently slated for U.S. release on June 18, 2027, positioning it as one of Sony’s most anticipated animated film projects and a notable example of evolving animation-production techniques.
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