Sony Pictures is rearranging its release calendar for several of its anticipated upcoming films, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Madame Web. The studio announced yesterday that it’s first pushing back the theatrical distribution of the computer animated Spider-Man sequel from October 7, 2022 to June 2, 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Taking over the October 7 release date is the live-action/CGI musical comedy, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, which is based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Bernard Waber. The movie, which is being directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, had originally been scheduled to be distributed on November 18, 2022.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile stars Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley and Scoot McNairy as the Primm family, and Brett Gelman as Mr. Grumps, the beloved singing crocodile Lyle will be voiced by singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are executive producing the film, will be penning original songs for the feature with Mendes, Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick and Joriah Kwamé.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, meanwhile, is being helmed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson. It will be the first of a two-part sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2019.
The follow-up will once again feature the voice of Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, a teenage Spider-Man who’s transported to another universe.
While there, he comes in contact with Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). The two titular superheros will join forces with a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
The voice cast also includes Oscar-nominated actress, Hailee Steinfeld.
As a result of the movie’s delayed theatrical distribution date, its follow-up, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse II, is now set to be released on March 29, 2024. Both sequels will screen in premium large formats and IMAX when they’re distributed in theaters.
The studio also revealed yesterday that the film version of Madame Web, which is based on the eponymous Marvel Comic character, will open July 7, 2023.
The character is a clairvoyant whose psychic abilities allow her to see within the spider world itself. Due to her ties to The Great Web, a multiversal construct that ties all Spider-Man characters together across the multiverse, Madame Web has become a major player in the superhero’s world.
The Spider-Man spin-off movie is an origin story that’s being written by Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and directed by acclaimed television helmer, S.J. Clarkson. Madame Web will star Dakota Johnson as the titular character and Sydney Sweeney in a yet-to-be-revealed role.