In case anybody has been living through sleepless nights since 2018, they can finally rest easy, at least assuming that sleeplessness had to do with a certain character from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. With the sequel currently in production and shooting for a release next year, it certainly seemed high time to clear some things up.
Jake Johnson, that raspy guy from New Girl whose Spider-Verse character Peter B. Parker enjoys the finer things in life like pizza and crying, has just heavily teased his return to the surprise animated hit that blew audiences away in 2018. After the sequel recently added Issa Rae as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, it seems only fair that one of the first film's standouts should be confirmed as well. Unfortunately, the bagel Miles threw at a scientist was apparently unavailable, so Johnson will have to do.
While appearing on YouTube channel The Movie Dweeb, Johnson all but confirmed that he'll be making his return in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. "I've been working on a contract, I believe Peter B. Parker is making a return," he said. "I think the way his journey ended in the first movie was very open-ended. And so when I got word that they were working on a deal and figuring it all out, I thought I truly can't wait to see what the writers came up with." It's worth noting that all Johnson confirmed is that he's been going through a contract to return, and hasn't completely finalized his appearance in the film as of yet. But that doesn't mean fans can't get a little optimistic.
In 2018's Into the Spider-Verse, Johnson's Peter B. Parker was an older and much more jaded version of the more typically young Peter Parker fans are used to. Hailing from an alternate universe and forcibly thrown into the same dimension where Miles Morales had just gotten his spider powers, the elder Parker acted as a bit of a mentor figure for the fledgling superhero. Of course, nothing was quite that simple (it wouldn't make for much of a story if it was), but the journey of Miles coming into his own with the help of Parker and several other alternate Spider-People certainly made for an entertaining and heartwarming experience.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse caught audiences off-guard not only with its exceptional narrative and characters but also with its incredible and unique style of animation. Utilizing 2D art techniques in a 3D space, the creators managed to pull off a truly distinct look that flawlessly blended comic book visuals into CG imagery. When all that came together with the excellent writing and performances, it became a finished product that audiences couldn't help but love.
The inevitable Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel is currently in development, and Johnson's remarks about negotiating a contract suggest that he hasn't even begun work on it yet. But hopefully, that doesn't mean the wait will be much longer. Spider-Verse still has a lot of questions to answer, and 3 years is already a heck of a long time to go without seeing some old friends.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is currently shooting to release on October 7th, 2022.
Source: The Movie Dweeb/YouTube