Daniel Kaluuya Reveals Spider-Punk Animated Series Is Officially in the Works

Daniel Kaluuya is once again proving that his creative vision stretches far beyond the screen. While appearing at Deadline’s Red Sea Studio in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Oscar-winning actor shared exciting updates about a Spider-Punk animated feature currently in development at Sony. This project has fans of the Spider-Verse buzzing with anticipation, Deadline reports.

Kaluuya confirmed that he and co-writer Ajon Singh are deep in the creative process, revealing they are in the “finishing stages” of the first draft. “We’re in our process.” When asked whether the film will focus solely on Spider-Punk or include other familiar Spider-Verse characters, Kaluuya kept things playful, offering a simple but intriguing, “TBD.”

The idea for a standalone Spider-Punk story was sparked by the overwhelming response to the character Kaluuya voiced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. He noted that the fan reaction was “so intense,” it naturally pushed the team to explore a full feature centered on the rebellious, guitar-shredding hero. Spider-Punk, also known as Hobie Brown, is set to return in the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, making this moment feel like the beginning of something much bigger.

For Kaluuya, being part of the Spider-Verse is about more than expanding a franchise. “It’s exciting to be writing something in this space,” he said, crediting Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as “great storytellers” who have been supportive of the idea from the start. The experience has also been a learning opportunity. “Those Spider-Verse films, they speak to me,” he said. “I was so inspired by them. I think the filmmakers and the animators are some of the best storytellers in the game. So, I want to put myself in environments where I can grow and learn what they know.”

One note from Lord clearly stuck with him. Kaluuya shared that Lord once wrote, “films aren’t about people, they’re about relationships.” That philosophy aligns with what Kaluuya says he is chasing creatively, especially the feeling audiences get when joy and intention meet on screen. “They also tap into a joy of cinema and storytelling and animation, and I think joy is so hard to do and that’s something I’m aspiring for,” he said. “They love what they do and that’s what the audience is really feeling.”

Beyond Spider-Punk, Kaluuya also weighed in on the shifting landscape of Hollywood, especially in light of the massive Warner Bros. Discovery-Netflix deal. Rather than leaning into fear, he offered perspective. “It’s just a symptom of the rapid escalation and rapid progress of technology, and the industry has to keep up,” he said. “Now, the tech companies kind of own the infrastructure.”

Still, Kaluuya made it clear that industry consolidation will not dictate his creative path. “I’m not prescribing to this anxiety,” he said. “You’ve just got to make something undeniable that speaks to the audience. I want to talk to people. I want to communicate things. I want to say things…I love cinema. I love theaters. I aspire to make films, and I love the community experiences so I’m always going to reach for that.”

Grounded but optimistic, Kaluuya closed with a mindset that feels especially resonant right now. “However, I’m not going to be stuck. I’m very much a firm believer of strong opinions, loosely held. So, we’ll see where this takes us. But whatever it is, I’m here to tell my truth and execute that truth and bring the idea out. And I want all of my friends and all the people around me to do that too. We’re not scared of the future.”

Cover photo: Daniel Kaluuya Reveals Spider-Punk Animated Series Is Officially in the Works/Photo credit: Violeta Sofia/Deadline/RedSeaFilm/Instagram