A new animated Spider-Verse short film titled The Spider Within was announced during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France last year, with Shameik Moore set to reprise his role as Miles Morales from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Details were few and far between at the time, but we were told that the short would put a very different spin on what we've seen from the first two Spider-Verse movies, presenting what's been described as a "horror-tinged" story.
While speaking to The Wrap shortly after the project was announced, director Jarelle Dampier explained what inspired his work on the short.
"My favorite genre is horror. I think it’s the perfect envelope to give great messages out, especially to younger audiences, and I think it’s something that we’ve kind of shied away from for a long time. But I think if you take a character that kids really love and you put that character in a thrilling situation, I think they get a lot out of it. I say kids, but really I’m talking about all of us. I’m talking about the kid inside of us, you know what I mean? The ability to use something scary with something we love, I think that’s the combination to landing the points, sticking the landing in the film."
Dampier wasn't willing to disclose much more about the project or its place in the timeline, adding that he'd rather "wait a little bit. I will say that there are several Easter eggs inside of the short."
The Spider Within premieres on YouTube tomorrow, and we have a new teaser which you can check out below.
The promo doesn't reveal much, but we do see Miles arriving home late at night while mulling over his parents' various admonishments. Then, things take a darker turn as the young hero experiences what appear to be sinister spider-themed visions.
Is this actually happening? We were told that the short focuses on Miles' anxiety manifesting in the form of sleep paralysis, which would suggest that these nightmarish scenes are simply his mind playing tricks... unless, of course, a villainous outside force is involved?
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, after reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
The voice cast also features Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Shea Whigham, Jorma Taccone, Luna Lauren Vélez, and Brian Tyree Henry.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now available to stream and purchase on DVD/Blu-ray.