Deadline revealed today that Sony Pictures Animation is developing an animated solo adventure for Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk, the too-cool-for-school breakout character from among the mass of new multiverse Spider-People in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, who voiced the character, is developing the movie with co-writer Ajon Singh, screenwriter of the upcoming Robert Pattinson movie Primetime.
It’s much too early to really celebrate that decision — most movies in the development stage never make it to production, let alone theaters — but for Hobie fans, it’s still exciting news. Easily the wildest and most intriguing new addition to the Spider-Verse-iverse as of the trilogy’s second movie, Spider-Punk is a standout in every scene he appears in. His innovative, startling animation and couture style make him a fan-favorite, but his rebellious, laid-back persona is the real winner. In Across the Spider-Verse, he’s just a minor goad for protagonist Miles Morales (Shameik Moore): Miles envies Hobie’s obvious closeness with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), but Hobie’s spirit of rebellion still puts him on Miles’ side when the chips are down.
Giving the character space to actually do something on his own with that rebellion, though? Especially after dramatically peacing out on the cross-dimensional Spider-Society in Across the Spider-Verse, in a way that would let him face his own villains without getting involved in some hyperdimensional plot? Bring it on.
It makes sense Sony would be looking for the next spin-offs and sidebars in the Spider-Verse saga, given how many box office records the first two movies in the series have broken. Moving away from Miles’ story would be daring, but also a satisfying way to take advantage of the sprawling universe the first two movies established.
There’s no word yet on whether Kaluuya and Singh are drawing on existing Spider-Punk comics or, as Miles would put it, they’re gonna do their own thing. The Spider-Verse version of the character is already different enough from the comics to warrant his own entirely new narrative set in a Marvel version of the ’60s London punk scene he appears to come from. And it remains to be seen whether any post Spider-Verse movies will get the kind of budget, animation innovation, and long, long production time that the Spider-Verse movies have gotten. If not, just remember: Hobie doesn’t believe in consistency, so it’d be pretty in character for him to star in a movie that looks nothing like the film that spawned it.
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