Prep yourself to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse by getting to know the Spider-People you’ll encounter in this highly anticipated sequel. Also, keep an eye out for some of Hyundai’s IONIQ electric and concept vehicles on the big screen! The second film in the Spider-Verse trilogy opens across Philippine cinemas on May 31.
You can watch the film’s final trailer here.
Hyundai Motors’ animated debut
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse features Hyundai’s Prophecy EV flying concept. Dubbed ‘Flying Prophecy,’ it’s a real-world concept vehicle which influenced the design of the IONIQ 6 that won three 2023 World Car of the Year honors and a Gold iF Design Award. Another fictional vehicle you’ll see in the film is a self-driving robotaxi which is based on the Hyundai Pony, Hyundai’s very first proprietary model.
The film also contains a few of Hyundai’s future mobility concepts for reenergizing cities, such as advanced air mobility (AAM), an innovative method of mobility which uses air space to cut travel time. Purpose-built vehicles (PBV) meanwhile provide ecologically friendly mobility. Last but not least, Hub provides ‘mobility transfer’ and a base community for our superheroes.
You can find all of these vehicles and inventions within the city of ‘Nueva York,’ which is one of the cities our heroes will occupy in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Hyundai Motors x Sony Pictures
Hyundai Motors and Sony Pictures will also be collaborating off the big screen on a multidimensional and global marketing campaign lasting from May to July. The campaign will feature a commercial ad showcasing Spider-Man, the IONIQ 5 (which won last year’s World Car of the Year award), the IONIQ 6, and a new track produced by hip-hop producer Metro Boomin. Additionally, expect more Spider-Verse social media content, a promotional exhibit, and a behind-the-scenes film showcasing Hyundai’s future mobility concepts (which will exhibit Hyundai and Sony’s collaborative history with the movie production process).
“Through our partnership, we aim to present our future mobility vision with entertainment content that younger generations love,” said Sungwon Jee, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Company. “This campaign will be welcomed by customers and we hope to build a positive momentum for the Hyundai brand.”
“During our long-standing relationship with Hyundai, their team continues to create impressive campaigns that capture the very essence of the brand. Utilizing music from the film’s soundtrack, Hyundai has created a stylish and cutting-edge marketing campaign that perfectly aligns their innovative products with one of the most iconic superhero characters,” said Jeffrey Godsick, EVP, Global Partnerships & Brand Management and Head of Location Based Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The collaboration stems from a global promotional partnership that Hyundai Motor inked with Sony Pictures in 2020 to showcase the company’s human-centered mobility vision via product and technological innovations. Previous installments included “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) with the IONIQ 5 EV and Tucson SUV, and “Uncharted” (2022) with the Tucson Beast concept SUV and various production cars. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the sequel to the Academy Award-winning animated film, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018).
About Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales is back for the next installment of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Reuniting with spider-pal Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, ‘friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’ is transported across the Multiverse, where he will meet the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People tasked with protecting the fate of the Multiverse. But when these heroes collide and clash on how to protect the Multiverse’s existence against a new threat, Miles finds himself forced against other heroes and must embark on a journey to save those he loves the most. Anybody can wear a mask – it’s how you wear it that makes you a hero.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson and produced by Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Christina Steinberg, the screenplay is by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and David Callaham, based on the Marvel Comic Books.
The film’s cast is led by Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac.
The Super Cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales is Spider-Man
A while after the challenges and trials of becoming a superhero in the first film, Miles Morales is not just older but wiser and more skilled. “We pick up a few months after the first movie ended,” says writer-producer Phil Lord. “Miles has had a growth spurt, and that gave us the excuse to have a cool new character design and costume. He’s still trying to figure out what it’s like to be a superhero. The trouble is, it was a lot easier when he had other people like him around, and now that they’re gone, both Miles and Gwen are feeling the absence of folks who understand what they are going through.
Shameik Moore, the actor who voices Miles in the sequel says, “It’s the classic struggle for Spider-Man… He’s trying to find his purpose while he’s still figuring himself out. I think everyone can relate to that on some level.”
Gwen Stacy is Spider-Woman
Stronger, faster, and with a sharper spider-sense, Gwen Stacy, also known as the amazing Spider-Woman of Earth-65, encounters several new obstacles along with Miles in the sequel. Reprising her role as Gwen, actress Hailee Steinfeld says, “Gwen’s relationship with Miles is quite complex this time around. There is such a bond between these two characters, and while Gwen wants to push Miles to do what she knows he is more than capable of doing, she also wants to take on the world together and there’s a lot that’s getting in the way. It’ll be exciting to see where their journey takes them from here.”
Miguel O’Hara is Spider-Man 2099
Miguel is the first of several new characters that Miles meets as he begins his journey across the Spider-Verse. This time, Miguel is super busy as the creator and commander of the Spider-Society. “It has always been a source of pride knowing that there was a Latino Spider-Man out there, and I was honored to bring Miguel O’Hara to life,” says Isaac. “Finding his voice, his intensity, his tragic darkness, his sense of humor (or lack thereof) was a fun creative process.”
Peter B. Parker is Mayday’s dad
“When we left Peter B. Parker in the first movie, he was going back to Mary Jane and realizing he did want to be a father, so it made total sense that we would catch him in ‘new daddy’ craziness!” shares writer and producer Christopher Miller. Actor Jake Johnson says of his new dad character, “He’s definitely pushing to do everything he can as Spider-Man. But you know, once you have a kid, things get divided and priorities change, and I think that happened for Peter. But I will say, Mayday is already showing promise in the world of Spider-People – there is a chance she might be more than meets the eye.”
Jessica Drew is Spider-Woman
Director Kemp Powers has this to say of character Jessica Drew, the dynamic and pregnant Spider-Woman of Earth-332: “She’s just a badass.” Issa Rae, who voices the character (and who’s been a longtime Spider-Man fan since she was in the 3rd grade!), agrees: “She is a hero in every sense. Sometimes being a hero involves making sacrifices for the greater good. And because Jessica is starting a family of her own, she wants to make sure that the world that she brings her child into is a safe one. And so she’s doing everything she can to make sure that she’s stopping the evil of this world while also being an excellent mentor to the upcoming generation of Spider-People, including Gwen.”
Pavitr Prabhakar is Spider-Man India
“Pavitr’s powers came through magic, so he is quite different from a lot of other Spider-People who were bitten by radioactive spiders,” explains Powers. “Like many other Spider-People, he has had to suffer a loss, and in his case, it was his uncle. Yet he’s probably one of the most optimistic characters in the movie.” Voiced by Karan Soni, Pavitr inhabits the city of Mumbattan, a futuristic and uproarious mashup of Manhattan and Mumbai on Earth-50101: “When it was announced that I was playing him, I cannot tell you how many messages I got from people. Firstly, they were just excited, and then there were a few more serious messages, saying mainly, ‘don’t mess this up.’ I don’t think we did!”
Hobie Brown is Spider-Punk
“You can describe him as a cross between Iggy Pop, Bad Brains, and Spider-Man,” says Powers of Hobie Brown, who’s from a world that’s a bizarro mixture of ’70s- and ’80s-era London and modern-day New York. “He wields a rock guitar that he uses to play music – and also utilizes it as a sonic weapon. He’s that cool, slightly older boy who is pretty easy for most girls to have a crush on.” Actor Daniel Kaluuya voices Spider-Punk, and has been a Spidey fanatic since he was a boy: “I was obsessed with Spider-Man growing up… And here I am, voicing a character who is from where I am from. I could not have dreamed this up!”
Ben Reilly is Scarlet Spider
The ultra-strong Ben Reilly was inspired by comic book superhero aesthetics from the 1990s. Writer-producer Lord describes the Scarlet Spider as, “His muscles have muscles, and if you dissected him, you’d find out he’s not a human being because he doesn’t follow any normal human anatomy. He’s double- and triple-jointed and reminds you of the guy who spends a lot of time at the gym and is psyched all the time!”
Spider-Cat is …. Spider-Cat
The Spot is…
Writer-producer Miller states that Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, aka The Spot, was actually in the Super-Collider Miles and his gang exploded in the first movie. This is why The Spot gets soaked in dark matter and turns into this character who has many holes and portals within him. “At first, he just seems like kind of a clumsy, low-level, goofy villain-of-the-week that has sort of Looney Tunes-style holes that go everywhere. But then he starts to realize that he can use those holes to go between dimensions, and he gets more and more powerful and becomes a real foe for Miles.”
Opening in Philippine cinemas May 31, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #SpiderVerse
Photo & Video Credit: “Columbia Pictures” and Hyundai Motor Philippines
