If everything had gone according to plan, Sony would be releasing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse into theaters this month. But delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, along with some animation issues, forced the highly-anticipated sequel to Across the Spider-Verse off the schedule indefinitely. Who knows when it’ll eventually be ready. But last year, we were told there’d be a bridging story, a short film on mental illness centered on Miles Morales. And now the first trailer for that short, titled The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story, is here.
Debuting on YouTube tomorrow, March 27th, The Spider Within from director Jarelle Dampier and writer Khalla Amazan centers on Miles as he has an anxiety attack due to the pressures of school, superheroing, and life in general. This manifests in the form of a dark alter ego that he must overcome. Shameik Moore returns as the voice of Miles, with Brian Tyree Henry as his father, Jeff Morales, with the bonds between father and son, especially in Black families, a key point of the story.
So keep an eye out for this one tomorrow, and maybe if fans react strongly it’ll convince Sony to put a firm date on Beyond the Spider-Verse’s release.