Published Mar 14, 2026, 1:39 PM EDT
While one of his fellow stars is coming to live-action in 2026, Jake Johnson isn't so sure his Spider-Verse hero will do the same.
The acclaimed New Girl alum has starred in Sony's animated Spider-Man movie series as Peter B. Parker, introduced in 2018's trilogy launcher as a middle-aged version of the Marvel webslinger down on his luck after a divorce from Mary Jane Parker, though is re-inspired after his multiverse adventure with Shameik Moore's Miles Morales. Johnson returned for the 2023 sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, in which he was shown to have rekindled with MJ and has an infant super-powered daughter, Mayday.
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for his new drama The Sun Never Sets in our SXSW media suite, Johnson took a look at his Spider-Verse future. When asked about the possibility of Peter B. Parker getting a live-action spinoff after Nicolas Cage's 2026 Spider-Noir series, Johnson was quick to say, "I wouldn't want to do" such a project. However, he was very effusive in his thoughts on the upcoming series, particularly as it stars his former New Girl cohort Lamorne Morris:
Jake Johnson: I think Nic Cage entering the [live-action] universe is great. I think Lamorne, who I'm really excited to see in that, those trailers look very cool.
As for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which has undergone a notably lengthy development and production cycle, even after being announced back in 2018, Johnson confirmed "we've been doing recording" for the trilogy capper in recent months. He went on to praise the script as being "so good," and assured that "anything with Chris [Miller] and Phil [Lord] is worth the wait."
Cage's live-action Spider-Noir series quickly became the talk of the town upon the first reports of it being in the works at Sony and Amazon MGM Studios. In addition to joining the growing roster of prospective spinoffs of the Spider-Verse films, the show also marks Cage's first live-action superhero project in 15 years, his last being that of 2011's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, a role he has frequently been rumored to reprise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga.
However, while Cage first played the private detective incarnation of the Marvel webslinger in the animated films, it is important to note that Spider-Noir is not technically connected to the Spider-Verse films. Instead, the Prime Video show is set in yet a different universe altogether in which Cage stars as a variant of Ben Reilly, better known as the Scarlet Spider in the comics, who was also voiced by Andy Samberg in Across the Spider-Verse.
While Johnson may not be interested in playing a live-action version of Peter B. Parker, that doesn't mean that the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has to be the end of his time with the franchise. As previously denoted, there are multiple spinoffs currently in the works for the films, ranging from a Spider-Women-focused film that will introduce Cindy Moon/Silk and see Issa Rae return as Jessica Drew, as well as a Spider-Punk film with Daniel Kaluuya penning the script alongside Ajon Singh.
Related
Every Upcoming Animated Spider-Man Universe Movie
Following the success of the Spider-Verse movies, more animated Spider-Man movies are on the way from Sony. Here's all the info we know about them.
Though each film may not explicitly seem suited for Johnson to return as Parker, their multiversal roots could pave the way for him to appear in one of the Spider-Verse spinoffs. Additionally, with both the MCU and live-action Spider-Man Universe often finding ways to connect to the animated films, the opportunity may arise elsewhere for the New Girl vet to reprise his fan-favorite version of the webslinger.
Be sure to dive into some of ScreenRant's other SXSW coverage with:
- Sun Never Sets Review
- Dead Eyes Review
- One Another Review
- Dakota Fanning reacting to All Her Fault's record-breaking success
- Kill Me Review
- Sydney Chandler sharing her ideal Alien: Earth season 2 story for Wendy and the Lost Boys as production ramps up
- Chandler, Takehiro Hira, Maximilian Lee Piazza & Brian Tetsuro Ivie talking Anima's experimental filming
- Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Review
- Saviors Review
- Robin Tunney weighing in on a Mentalist revival after its Netflix resurgence
- The cast and producer of I Love Boosters hype Boots Riley & Keke Palmer's "unapologetic" new crime movie
Spider-Noir is set to premiere on MGM+ in the US on May 25 and Prime Video globally on May 27.
-
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Release Date June 25, 2027
Director Bob Persichetti, Justin K. Thompson
Writers Dave Callaham, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Producers Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Jinko Gotoh
-
Shameik Moore
Miles Morales
-
Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman
-
Brian Tyree Henry
Jefferson Davis
-
-
-
English (US) ·