To Sony and beyond: What is ‘Soul’ director Kemp Powers’s next project?
It’s official! The highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has found its team of directors, seeing Joaquim Dos Santos (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Justin K. Thompson (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), and Kemp Powers (Soul) at the helm. Currently, without an official title, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is expected to swing into theatres in 2022.
While both Thompson & Dos Santos are a bit green in terms of directing a feature animated film, having both served as writers and art directors on animated TV series, it’s obvious Sony will be leaning heavily on the direction efforts of Kemp Powers, who’s coming off an amazing first director’s debut with Disney & Pixar’s 2020 film, Soul, starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey.
While little is currently known about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, including the plot and which characters will be returning, it’s obvious that the anticipation for this sequel is through the roof, tangled in a web of excitement and high expectations, seeing as how special the original animated film was. Are you as stoked about the news of Kemp Powers and the boys directing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 as we are?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was an absolute surprise for most audiences when it was released during the 2018 holiday season, opting to go in what many considered to be a risky direction with adapting the story of Miles Morales rather than the familiar Peter Parker. However, this fun & different change-up was just the refresher many superhero fans needed, seeing as how the MCU already had a firm grasp on a Peter Parker character that resonated well with audiences.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as we mentioned, told the story of Miles Morales, an African-American teenager out of Brooklyn who is bitten by a radioactive spider. However, through a strange encounter with the supervillain Kingpin who has the powers to open portals to other dimensions, Morales must team up with Peter Parker as well as a slew of other web-slinging heroes to defeat Kingpin and save reality as we know it.
The film offers the voice talents of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Liev Schreiber, John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Post Malone, Kimiko Glenn, Mahershala Ali, and Nicholas Cage. The film even went on to win Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Academy Awards, beating out worthy opponents such as Incredibles 2 (a rare loss for a Pixar film), Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Mirai.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 directors Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and Joaquim Dos Santos, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, seem as thrilled as we are for this upcoming sequel, and understand the enthusiasm that fans share going into this project.
“The crew behind the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set such a ridiculously high bar, and we’re humbled to take on the challenge of charting the next chapter in the story of Miles Morales,” the three directors said in a statement. “We can’t wait to surprise fans with the wild new adventure we’re sending Miles on with his friends, both old and new!”
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, directors of projects as 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie, are returning to produce this sequel. “We are so lucky to have Joaquim, Justin, and Kemp on the Spider-Verse team. They are all Super Heroes at what they do and each brings a unique sensibility to the ‘Spider-Verse,” the pair explained. “All three of them elevate every project they take on, and they are certainly raising our game.”
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is currently expected to swing its way into theatres on October 7th, 2022.
