Brendan Gleeson has confirmed that production has begun on the new live-action Spider-Noir series. The show follows a live-action iteration of Cage’s beloved character from the animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Gleeson plays an undisclosed villain in the show, with fans constantly speculating about his character’s identity. While his villainous persona still remains a secret, Gleeson has teased fans with an exciting production update.

Speaking to Variety on the red carpet of Joker: Folie à Deux, Gleeson was asked about Spider-Noir, and if he could give anything away. Surprisingly, considering the lengths Hollywood studios go to keep their superhero projects as secretive as possible, the star was fairly loose-lipped about the new series. The actor revealed that he hasn’t shot any scenes with Nicolas Cage yet, but has read lines with him during a table read. Gleeson also confirmed that production is well underway on the series, and he’s already shot some of his scenes. When asked about his experience working with Nicolas Cage, Gleeson said:

“It was brief because it was just at a reading, but it was nice because it was enough to say ‘Yeah, that’s exactly who I thought it’d be.’ He’s great, he’s really great, and I can’t wait to get going.
I’ve shot one thing, and it wasn’t a scene with him yet
, but that’s all to come so I’m looking forward to it.”

Spider-Noir doesn’t yet have a release date. However, with production now underway, it is expected that the new series will be granted an official release window sometime in the near future. Alongside Nicolas and Gleeson, Prime Video’s Spider-Noir series also stars recent Emmy-winner Lamorne Morris. More casting and character details are also expected to be revealed soon.

Brendan Gleeson’s Mysterious Spider-Noir Villain is a “Philosopher”

During the conversation, Gleeson was asked for more details about his character in the show. Almost nothing has been revealed about Spider-Noir’s antagonist, aside from which actor will lend their performance to the character. At that point, he became understandably more cagey about giving away too much. The actor simply described his villain as a “philosopher,” saying:

“I think of him as more of a philosopher, he has kind of a drone-eye view of things, but he can be equally dangerous.”

Given Spider-Noir’s noir-thriller style, fans expect Gleeson will play some kind of mob boss, whom Spider-Noir has to bring down by unraveling his criminal empire. The common consensus has pegged Gleeson as Joseph Martello, a.k.a. Hammerhead. The character has yet to appear on the big screen, but was the primary antagonist in the Marvel’s Spider-Man game’s The City That Never Sleeps DLC. The series itself follows Cage’s titular Spider-Noir as an aging private investigator with a failing career. Spider-Noir must reconcile his career with his past life as New York’s only superhero.

Spider-Noir
has no official release window yet. The series will stream exclusively on Prime Video.