Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

(Redirected from Spider-Man: Sophomore Year)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an upcoming American animated television series created by Jeff Trammell for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is intended to be the 12th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from Marvel Studios and is produced by Marvel Studios Animation. The series explores Peter Parker's origin story and early days as Spider-Man and is set in an alternate timeline where Norman Osborn becomes Parker's mentor instead of Tony Stark. Trammell serves as head writer.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
GenreSuperhero
Created byJeff Trammell
Based on
Spider-Man
by
Written byJeff Trammell
Starring
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Production companyMarvel Studios Animation
Original release
NetworkDisney+
Related
Marvel Cinematic Universe television series

Hudson Thames voices Parker, reprising the role from the Marvel Studios animated series What If...? (2021–present), with Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Hugh Dancy, Kari Wahlgren, Zeno Robinson, Charlie Cox, Paul F. Tompkins, and Colman Domingo also starring in the series. Disney+ announced Spider-Man: Freshman Year in November 2021, with Trammell attached. It was retitled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man by December 2023. The series' animation style is similar to the early The Amazing Spider-Man comic book art, with animation provided by Polygon Pictures.

The first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on January 29, 2025, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. A second season is in development.

Premise

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man explores Peter Parker's origin story and early days using the Spider-Man persona in an alternate reality where Norman Osborn becomes Parker's mentor instead of Tony Stark.[1][2]

Cast and characters

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Other characters confirmed to be appearing in the series include Dr. Stephen Strange, Amadeus Cho, Pearl Pangan,[5][9] Jeanne Foucault,[10] Chameleon, Mac Gargan / Scorpion, Rhino, Tarantula, Butane, Speed Demon, Carmela Black, Unicorn,[5][9] Tony Stark / Iron Man,[11] Curt Connors,[12] Venom, and White Rabbit.[13]

Production

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Development

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By June 2021, Marvel Studios Animation was developing a slate of at least three more series in addition to their Disney+ series What If...? (2021–present).[14][15][16] The next month, these were said to be in various stages of development and were not expected to debut until at least 2023.[17] Spider-Man: Freshman Year was announced during the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, with Jeff Trammell serving as head writer and executive producer.[1] Stu Livingston is an episode director,[18][third-party source needed] and Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum is another executive producer.[19]: 22 [needs update] During Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, Spider-Man: Freshman Year and the other projects discussed were introduced as being part of the "Marvel Animated Multiverse".[20] The series was retitled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man by December 2023.[21] A second season was announced in July 2022, then titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year.[20]

Writing

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Charlie Neuner serves as a staff writer.[22] The series depicts the origin story of Peter Parker / Spider-Man, which was never explored in detail in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films;[3] Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated in 2015 that they decided to not retell the character's origin in Captain America: Civil War (2016),[23] which was the character's first MCU appearance,[3] since there had been two previous versions in the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb films, so Marvel Studios was "going to take it for granted that people know that, and the specifics".[23] The origin story in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man sees Parker get bit by a spider falling out of a portal created by Dr. Stephen Strange as he is fighting Venom, connecting his origin to magic rather than science as in the comics.[13][24][25]

Trammell said the series would explore Parker's identity pre-Spider-Man and how his superhero career began.[5] Winderbaum explained that the series took inspiration from the early Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics and called it "so essentially Spider-Man" since Parker is in high school trying to juggle school, caring for his aunt May, and being a superhero. He also noted the large ensemble of characters featured in the series, saying "things feel really tragic and dangerous, and pretty incredible" as the relationships are deepened as the series progresses through the first season, raising the stakes.[26] The series puts an emphasis on the "neighborhood" from the title, similar to Trammell's work on the Cartoon Network Studios series Craig of the Creek (2018–present).[27]

Details revealed in July 2022 suggested the series was set in an alternate timeline from the main MCU continuity,[28] which Winderbaum soon confirmed, explaining that they were taking advantage of the MCU's multiverse concept: the story begins similarly to Civil War but depicts Norman Osborn becoming Parker's mentor instead of Tony Stark / Iron Man, which leads to Parker meeting other unexpected characters.[2]

Casting and voice recording

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In July 2022, Charlie Cox was revealed to be reprising his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil from previous MCU media,[20] while Paul F. Tompkins was set as the voice of Bentley Whittman.[5] Cox recorded his lines in 2021 during breaks in filming his appearance on the live-action MCU series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022).[29] In September 2023, a United States Copyright Office filing for the series revealed that Hudson Thames was voicing Parker, reprising his role from the first season of What If...? (2021),[30][4] along with Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, Kari Wahlgren as May Parker, and Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn.[4] In August 2024, Colman Domingo was revealed as the voice of Norman Osborn.[6]

Animation and design

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The series will feature a 3D cel-shaded animation style that pays homage to the early The Amazing Spider-Man comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.[1][31] Animation is provided by Polygon Pictures.[32] Spider-Man suits featured in the series include his homemade suit made from "gym pants, sneakers, goggles, a blue sweatshirt, red undershirt, knee pads, very clunky web-shooters, and a red logo on the chest", a yellow suit, a "classic 60s" red and blue suit, a white and blue Oscorp suit, a "beetle" costume, and a dark suit;[33] the last two costumes are reminiscent of those worn by the respective characters Hornet and Dusk in the comics,[34] while the Oscorp suit resembles Spider-Man's Future Foundation costume from the comics.[35]

Music

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Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson were revealed to be composing the series' score in June 2024.[36] The series' theme song is a rap remix of classic Spider-Man theme songs.[13][25]

Marketing

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The series was discussed during Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, when artwork of the characters was revealed.[5] The series was featured in a sizzle reel of Marvel Studios Animation's 2024 series in December 2023.[21] Trammell, Thames, and Domingo promoted the series during Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the D23 Expo in August 2024, where Domingo's role as Norman was announced and footage was shown.[12][37][13] In September 2024, Marvel Comics announced a five-issue comic book prequel series, also titled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, written by Christos Gage and with art by Eric Gapstur. The first issue will be released in December 2024.[38] Footage from the series was included in a video that was released by Disney+ the next month, announcing the release schedule for Marvel Television and Marvel Animation projects through the end of 2025.[39]

Release

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is scheduled to debut on Disney+ on January 29, 2025.[39] It was previously scheduled to be released in 2024.[21][40] A filing for the first episode with the United States Copyright Office in October 2023 indicated an approximate release on November 2, 2024.[41] It is expected to be part of Phase Five of the MCU.[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick (November 12, 2021). "Disney+ Day: All The Streamer's Film & TV News From Premiere Dates To Series Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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  3. ^ a b c Couch, Aaron (November 12, 2021). "Disney+ Orders '90s 'X-Men' Revival, 'Marvel Zombies' and 'Spider-Man: Freshman Year'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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  6. ^ a b Williams, Marisa (August 10, 2024). "Colman Domingo Is Joining the World of Marvel as This Iconic Villain". Collider. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Mitovich Webb, Matt (August 10, 2024). "Marvel Zombies (TV-MA!), Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda (Iron Fist?!) and Other Animated Series Get Updates at D23". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Dick, Jeremy (August 10, 2024). "Spider-Man Animated Series to Bring Back Past Spidey Actor as the New Peter Parker". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
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  10. ^ Freitag, Lee (August 22, 2024). "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Will Feature a Key Hulk Character, Reveals Head Writer". SuperHeroHype. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
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  16. ^ Lee, Chris (January 13, 2023). "Inside the VFX Union Brewing in Hollywood". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023. Alonso heads up Marvel's dedicated "mini-studio," Marvel Studios Animation, which is behind such shows as What If ...? [...] and the summer 2022 series of Vin Diesel–voiced original shorts, I Am Groot.
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  18. ^ "About". StuartLivingston.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Moon Knight Production Brief" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. March 16, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Moreau, Jordan (July 22, 2022). "'Marvel Zombies,' 'Spider-Man: Freshman Year,' 'What If?' Season 2 Get First Looks". Variety. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c "Marvel Studios Celebrates New Season of 'What If...?'". Marvel.com. December 12, 2023. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  22. ^ Neuner, Charlie [@charzooka] (November 12, 2021). "Actual dream to say I'm the writer for this show alongside my best bud and super-talented EP @MrJeffTrammell This is also the first noteworthy thing I've had to say since 2018 when I RTed a pic about the Sonic movie design (before they redesigned it)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ a b Bibbiani, William (April 11, 2015). "Exclusive: Marvel's Spider-Man Reboot is NOT an Origin Story". Mandatory. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  24. ^ Trajkovic, Katarina (August 14, 2024). "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Will Change a Key Aspect of Marvel's Hero". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Rangel, Felipe (August 10, 2024). "Spider-Man's Origin Is Being Rewritten & It's Doctor Strange's Fault In New Marvel Show Footage". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
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  28. ^ Codega, Linda (July 22, 2022). "Spider-Man Freshman Year Showcases Stylish Nostalgia". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
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  30. ^ "Spider-Man: Freshman Year "Episode 101" (101)". United States Copyright Office. September 25, 2023. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  31. ^ Power, Tom (October 30, 2024). "Marvel reveals release dates and first footage for its 2025 TV line-up – and confirms Deadpool and Wolverine will debut on Disney Plus in November". TechRadar. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  32. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 14, 2023). "Polygon Pictures Reveals Spider-Man: Freshman Year Animated Series". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  33. ^ Scott, Ryan (July 22, 2022). "Marvel's Spider-Man: Freshman Year: 5 Things We Learned From The Comic-Con Panel". /Film. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  34. ^ Fink, Richard (July 23, 2022). "Spider-Man Gets 5 More Superhero Suits In Freshman Year Image". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  35. ^ Graham-Lowery, Nathan (August 10, 2024). "Kevin Feige Teases Spider-Man's White Costume For Upcoming Marvel Release". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  36. ^ Danoff, Owen (June 17, 2024). "Emmy-Winning Cobra Kai Composers Score Marvel's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Series". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  37. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (July 11, 2024). "D23 2024 Will Include First Looks at X-Men '97 Season 2, Spider-Man Animated Series, and More". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  38. ^ Marston, George (September 10, 2024). "New Spider-Man animated series gets a prequel comic from a longtime Spider-Man writer who also worked on the Playstation games". Newsarama. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  39. ^ a b Lussier, Germain (October 30, 2024). "Marvel Just Revealed Its TV Release Dates for the Next Year". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
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  41. ^ Valdez, Nick (October 8, 2023). "Spider-Man: Freshman Year Full Cast and Release Window Reportedly Revealed". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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