One key character from Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy will appear with a recast actor in this year's Spider-Noir. The live-action wall-crawler series will premiere its eight episodes on MGM+ this spring with its alternate universe tale focussed on an aging, down on his luck private detective in 1930s New York, brought to life by Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage. The 62-year-old voiced a version of Spider-Man Noir in the Spider-Verse franchise, although the animated hero was an iteration of Peter Parker, while the live-action show will star Ben Reilly.
An exclusive report from Esquire pulled back the curtain on MGM+'s Spider-Noir and revealed the first look at New Girl star Lamorne Morris as Robbie Robertson. The report confirmed that Spider-Noir's Robertson is "still a journalist, but pounding a freelance beat looking for stories from the heart of the city," but remains a friend to Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly, aka The Spider.
The late actor Bill Nunn famously played Robertson in Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy, proving to be a continual voice of reason at the New York newspaper as he insisted that the wall-crawler is a hero, not a menace. Spider-Man 2 even implies that Robertson had deduced Peter Parker's secret identity.
Robertson has held several positions at the Daily Bugle in Marvel Comics over the years, including editor-in-chief. Typically, Robertson serves as the Bugle's city editor, offering a pragmatic counterpart to the temperamental Jameson.
The New Girl star is only the second actor to bring the Daily Bugle to live-action, although Robertson has made a number of animated appearances.
Nicolas Cage's upcoming series will lean into its noir detective lead by releasing two versions, "authentic black and white" and "true-hue full color." Esquire unveiled the same look at Spider-Noir's Robbie Robertson from both iterations.
The outlet confirmed another recasting from Sam Raimi's beloved web-slinger trilogy in Flint Marko, better known as Sandman, who will be played by Boardwalk Empire star Jack Huston in Spider-Noir. He will step into the shoes once filled by Thomas Haden Church in Spider-Man 3 and again in No Way Home.
MGM+ has assembled an all-star cast for the eight-episode Spider-Noir, which is scheduled to premiere in this spring. The series will feature Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson, Jack Huston, and Li Jun Li.
How Robbie Robertson Fits Into MGM+'s Spider-Noir
If Spider-Noir maintains the spirit of Robbie Robertson, albeit in a different time period to usual, he will be using his journalistic prowess to sing the praises of Nicolas Cage's spider-powered superhero. Given his friendship with Ben Reilly, it's easy to imagine him also uncovering his secret identity in the eight-episode run.
Unlike Bill Nunn's Robbie Robertson who was a senior figure at the Daily Bugle, Spider-Noir's iteration is younger and still on the freelance beat. But perhaps he could earn himself a spot at the Bugle after landing a major story about the noir superhero, who won't be going by Spider-Man Noir in the MGM+ show.
Fans could find themselves back in Sam Rami's Marvel universe as soon as this December, as Tobey Maguire will reportedly reprise Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday before returning the following year in Secret Wars.
