Calm down everyone, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's directors reveal doesn't mean what you think it does

• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's directing team has been revealed
• One of its producers has debunked a wild fan theory about the film's production
• The animated movie series' final entry has been in development for some time

Sony has finally confirmed who's directing Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – and one of the movie's producers has already had to debunk a wild fan theory about its production following the announcement.

Yesterday (December 17), Deadline was first to report that Justin K. Thompson and Bob Persichetti were leading development on the highly anticipated animated film. Less than an hour later, the official Spider-Verse X/Twitter account confirmed this was the case, too.

Thompson and Persichetti's hirings make perfect sense for the final installment of the Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen-led animated movie trilogy. Thompson was one of three individuals who directed 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – a stunning film that I gave four and a half stars out of five in my Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review. Thompson also served as a production designer on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the movie series' groundbreaking first entry that earned critical acclaim and won multiple awards after its December 2018 release.

Persichetti, meanwhile, has also been an integral cog in the Spider-Verse machine. He was one of three filmmakers who directed Into the Spider-Verse, and was an executive producer on last year's sequel. Clearly, Sony Pictures' next animated Spider-Man film is in very capable hands with this duo at the helm.

In a statement provided to Deadline, Persichetti and Thompson said: "We have had the immense privilege of being part of Miles’ journey from the very beginning, and directing the conclusion to his story is beyond exciting. The creativity and care poured into every minute of this project has been truly inspiring. We have crafted what we feel is a very satisfying ending, and we can’t wait for fans to experience it – we’re bringing everything we’ve got!"

Why have Spider-Man fans reacted with indignation to this Beyond the Spider-Verse reveal?

Let me be very clear: Persichetti and Thompson's hiring isn't the reason why Spider-Man fans reacted angrily in the immediate aftermath of this announcement. In fact, given the duo's work on two of the best Spider-Man movies of all-time, the reaction to their installation as Beyond the Spider-Verse's directing team has been positive.

Instead, frustrated observers hit out at Sony and the Spider-Verse movie series' chief creative team about what this reveal meant for Beyond the Spider-Verse's actual development. Originally, the franchise's third and final chapter was supposed to debut in theaters sometime in 2023. However, when Across the Spider-Verse's release was delayed from October 2022 to June 2023, Beyond the Spider-Verse was pushed back to March 2024.

In the months after Across the Spider-Verse's theatrical launch, though, reports emerged that its sequel wouldn't make its March 2024 release date due to various production issues, allegations of poor working conditions for its artists and animators, and the 2023 Hollywood strikes. In light of those reported troubles, Beyond the Spider-Verse has been stripped of an official release date. Indeed, the latest intel, which comes courtesy of Deadline, suggests it'll be 2026 before the film eventually debuts in theaters.

All of this brings us to the fan ire surrounding yesterday's announcement. Following the confirmation of Persichetti and Thompson as its directors, numerous Reddit threads were lit up by fans either mocking Sony over how long it was taking to make Beyond the Spider-Verse, asking the same question about whether its March 2024 launch date was even possible.

Personally, I didn't buy into the outrage. Yes, this movie has clearly been beset by various problems since it was first announced, and it's likely that some original ideas and/or work has been scrapped over the past few years. However, I refuse to believe that we've been duped as to how much (or, in some people's minds, how little) has actually been developed so far, and nor do I think that Persichetti and Thompson's hiring means that work has only just started.

Taking to X/Twitter, Chris Miller, one of the Spider-Verse franchise's producers, confirmed as much, writing: "To anyone confused: Bob and Justin are not the *new* directors, they have been the directors of BTSV the entire time – and doing a great job. They were just announced today."

So, there you have it. We might not have got an exciting Beyond the Spider-Verse announcement that we were hoping for in November, nor did we get a much-needed update on its eventual release. Nevertheless, work has been ongoing for the past few years, so take a breath, everyone. While we wait for the final film's arrival, you can remind yourself what happened in its forebear's final minutes by reading my Across the Spider-Verse ending explained article.

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