Throughout the huge explosion in popularity of superhero movies over the past two decades, it's live-action comic book adventures that have dominated. Animated superheroes have largely continued to exist in TV shows or made-for-TV movies such as DC's recent Batman films, with Pixar's The Incredibles and its sequel the closest we've had to a major superhero big-screen adventure. That is, until the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.

　　Into the Spider-verse hit theaters in late 2018 and proved to be not only an incredible animated film, but simply one of the best superhero movies ever made. This dazzling adventure saw Miles Morales's Spidey team up with a variety of other Spider-people to help save the Multiverse from evil. The movie was written and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the Jump Street films, The Lego Movie) and expertly mixed humor, thrills, action, and heartfelt drama. In addition, the stunningly inventive animation perfectly conveyed that rush of reading comic books as a kid, and the movie was rewarded with rave reviews, huge box office, and the Best Animated Movie Oscar.

　　The Spider-verse sequel was officially announced in November 2019, with an April 2022 release date. While this date has shifted back, the movie is still set to hit theaters this year, and excitingly, it will now be two films. So here's everything we know so far about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One).

　　

What's the release date?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) hits theatres on October 7.

　　

Who's the director?

The movie is directed by Joachim dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. Dos Santos previously worked on shows such as Voltron Legendary Defender and Avatar the Last Airbender. Powers co-directed Pixar's soul as well as writing the acclaimed drama One Night in Miami, while Thompson's animation credits include The Emoji Movie and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

　　

Who's the writer?

Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) is written by Lord and Miller, with David Callahan. Callahan also co-wrote recent hits such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings, Wonder Woman 1984, and Mortal Kombat.

　　

Who's in the cast?

The cast announced so far includes several actors from the first movie as well as a couple of new names. Shameik Moore returns as Miles, with Hailee Steinfeld playing Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman. Jake Johnson is also set to return as the older Peter Parker, with Oscar Isaac back as Miguel O'Hara (AKA Spider-Man 2099), following his cameo in the post-credit scene of the first movie.

　　In terms of the new cast, The Hate U Give's Issa Rae will play Jessica Drew, the classic Spider-Woman from Marvel's comics. In addition, Japanese actor Takuya Yamashiro will appear as Spidey from the 1978 Japanese animated Spider-Man show.

　　

What's the story?

We don't know too many details about the new movie's plot yet. The film is set to focus on the relationship between Miles and Gwen as they embark on an adventure across the Multiverse, alongside the new team of Spider-people. The official synopsis also teases a "powerful new villain," although there is no word as to who that is yet.

　　In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lord and Miller provided a few hints as to what fans could expect from the sequel and explained why it is being released in two parts. "Miles' story is an epic," they said. "We wrote what we thought the story needed to be, and to our surprise, we realized it was two movies instead of one. We're working on them both as we speak. Part Two will be out sometime in 2023. We will sleep again in 2024."

　　The pair also confirmed that the film will have a similarly unique and stylish look to its predecessor. "Every dimension looks and feels radically different from all the others," they said. "They all look like they were drawn by a different artist."

　　

Is there a trailer?

The first teaser for Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) was released in early December. The promo shows Gwen visiting Miles in his New York apartment and convincing him to get his Spider-Man costume on and go on an adventure with her. This is followed by a dazzlingly animated montage of Spidey zipping through various dimensions of the Multiverse. While it doesn't reveal any other plot details, it looks every bit as stunning as the first film.

　　

When does Part Two arrive?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two) doesn't have a confirmed release date yet, but it is currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2023.