Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just welcomed a new friendly guitar-slinging vigilante to its cast now that Daniel Kaluuya is lined up to be the voice behind the outspoken Spider-Punk.
Across The Spider-Verse is set to introduce a bunch of Spidey variants from Marvel Comics, meaning Kaluuya's Hobart Brown will join the likes Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), and the returning Peter Parker (Jake Johnson). Brown, who first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #10 back in 2015, is known for his political leanings towards full-blown anarchism as a response to the corrupt government of Earth-138's President Norman Osborn.
News of Kaluuya's casting was originally picked up by The Hollywood Reporter, with it being the English actor’s third superhero gig (see Kick-Ass 2) after he played W'Kabi in 2018’s Black Panther. The two-part story to the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel won’t be out until the summer of 2023, although so far the only preview released by Sony points to several other Spider-Men joining the cast. Still, Kaluuya's fame makes him a stand-out addition to the film.
Besides Kaluyaa and the aforementioned Spider-Man, Jason Schwartzmann's villainous Spot and Jorma Taccone's Vulture round off the list of newcomers to the franchise. Plus, Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, and Luna Lauren are all reprising their respective roles. On top of that, with last year’s preview teasing the Japanese and Indian versions of Spider-Man, new well-known voice actors could also join the cast as Takuya Yamashiro and Pavitr Prabhakar.
Nevertheless, one big announcement or surprise many Marvel fans will be looking forward to is whether Sony could have booked a special cameo from Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man, who is rumored to join the Miles Morales' multiverse adventure. Spider-Punk is one of the most colorful versions of the superhero, and the character was included as part of Marvel's Spider-Man vast array of costumes as a homage to the success of the comic books.
Both Spider-Punk and the Scarlet Spider had been confirmed as new characters in Across the Spider-Verse thanks to leaked merchandising, though it’s good to put a face to the former. Kaluuya sat out Black Panther: Wakanda Forever due to a tight work calendar, so it’ll be nice to hear him rocking out Spider-Man for a change.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled for release on June 2, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter