Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has a difficult task ahead of its 2027 debut. After two critically acclaimed animated adventures, the third movie in the Spider-Verse saga must bring Miles Morales' (Shameik Moore) story to a satisfying conclusion while delivering on the enormous expectations set by its predecessors.
Those expectations have only grown since Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended on an unresolved cliffhanger in 2023. Since then, the filmmakers behind the hit movies have spent years developing the final chapter, with its first trailer making waves at CinemaCon in 2026. Now, one longtime creative contributor has provided an encouraging update on the next film.
Speaking at Deadline's Sound & Screen event, Spider-Verse franchise composer Daniel Pemberton revealed that he has already watched an early cut of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. In a video posted to Deadline's X (formerly Twitter) account, Pemberton describes the way footage resonated with him despite being far from finished:
"The last cut I saw made me cry multiple times. And when something can do that when it’s an animatic, and it’s still early, it’s like – I think everyone’s going to be in for a real treat."
Pemberton also made clear just how high the creative team's ambitions are for the upcoming threequel. Rather than simply hoping to match the success of the first two movies, the musician described a much loftier goal:
"We all know we’ve got to make the greatest ending to a trilogy ever with that film."
Pemberton's reaction is especially notable because he was watching an animatic, which is a rough combination of storyboard images, dialogue, and rough timing used to shape an animated film. If the unfinished storytelling and animation were already powerful enough to make the composer cry several times, the completed version could make those moments even more impactful.
Pemberton composed the music for 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, combining orchestral arrangements with electronic sounds and character-specific themes. His work helped define the franchise's identity, including the music that punctuates Miles' relationships, the franchise's villains, and the various Spider-People. His history with the series gives his reaction additional credibility.
Can Beyond the Spider-Verse Deliver Its Biggest Ending?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended with Miles accidentally arriving on Earth-42, where an alternate version of himself had become the Prowler. Meanwhile, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) began assembling a team to rescue him, and the fate of Miles' father continued to hang in the balance. These cliffhangers leave the movie with plenty to resolve before the credits roll.
The team behind the film seems to understand the importance of shepherding the series to a satisfactory conclusion. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was originally scheduled to release in theaters in 2024 before being delayed several times, giving the creatives more time to craft an emotionally resonant ending.
But the challenge also goes beyond answering how Miles' story ends. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who are writing the screenplay with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings co-writer David Callaham, have confirmed that, while Beyond the Spider-Verse concludes Miles' trilogy, the broader universe established in the film can continue by exploring other characters in the franchise. This puts even more weight on Miles' story's ending, as the reception to the movie could impact potential future stories set in the trilogy's universe.
Pemberton's comments suggest that the filmmakers understand that responsibility. The previous two movies earned praise for their innovative visual style and ambitious action and fight choreography, but their most memorable scenes were often the quieter moments that centered on Miles' relationships with those closest to him.
Of course, Pemberton's reaction does not guarantee that Beyond the Spider-Verse will become the greatest trilogy ending ever. Still, hearing that an unfinished cut has already elicited an emotional reaction from the franchise's composer is a promising sign that the film will meet, and possibly even exceed, the bar set by the series' first two entries.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse arrives in theaters on June 18, 2027.
