Nicolas Cage Reveals the Real Reason Spider-Noir Was Filmed in Both Color and Black and White

Nicolas Cage is hardly the shy, retiring type, and he’s going full vintage for the upcoming Spider-Noir series. But there’s a twist: it’s been shot in both black-and-white and colour—turns out, that was actually his idea. I know what you’re thinking, a superhero show in monochrome is not what you’d expect from the blokes behind the latest Marvel-related telly, but hear me out.

The Double-Format Dilemma

Cage, who’s playing the titular Spider-Noir (aka yet another alternate Spider-Man, this one from a gritty 1930s dimension), recently sat down to chat about why the show isn’t just leaning into the silhouette-heavy, shadow-soaked look. He’s made it clear he absolutely wanted the main event presented in classic black-and-white—he’s even said he designed his performance around it. But then he had a thought:

'I said, I’m all about the black and white. I designed my performance for black and white. And I’m glad I saw it that way. It was actually one of my ideas to have them shoot it in colour because I’m aware of teenagers, and I’m aware they don’t have that much experience with black and white.'

Basically, he’s thinking of the kids (well, I’d call 17-year-olds “kids”, Cage might not). The idea is that if you’ve never sat through an old noir thriller, black-and-white can seem pretty alien. By letting viewers start in colour, maybe they’re more likely to stick around—and then, if the bug bites, check out the black-and-white version and get a taste of old-school Hollywood.

Cage’s hope? That a few younger viewers might fall down the rabbit hole and discover the classics:

'And maybe they go… hey, I want to see some of these movie references. And then they just open a treasure trove of wealth of great American cinema. That’s the dream, I hope that happens.'

Art Directions and Odd Details

If you want a bit of filmmaking trivia, have a look at the interview itself (it made the rounds on Instagram). As Cage explains the reason for shooting in both formats, the video cheekily fades from black-and-white to colour—then every time he says 'black and white', it blips back to monochrome for a few seconds.

But here’s where it gets properly weird: the interviewer’s microphone has a Rubik’s Cube pattern, which never changes colour regardless of the rest of the filter. Apparently, that’s a nod to Into the Spider-Verse—the animated film where Cage first voiced Spidey Noir, who’s fascinated by the puzzle because, in his universe, colour is basically a myth.

Release Dates, Who’s Behind It, and Where to Watch

• First US Premiere: 25 May 2026, streaming on MGM+ (not Prime yet!)
• Global Release: 27 May 2026, on Prime Video everywhere else
• Developed and Run By: Oren Uziel (previously did The Lost City, 22 Jump Street), with Steve Lightfoot sharing showrunner duties
• Nicolas Cage: Headlining as Spider-Noir himself

So, if you grew up with Sunday matinées of Peter Cushing or Humphrey Bogart, you’ll get why Cage wants a bit of black-and-white throwback. But if you can’t imagine Spider-Man without eye-popping colour, you’re sorted too. In an era where every streaming service is thumping its chest about 'premium content', this one’s clearly angling for something a little different—and frankly, I’d rather watch Nicolas Cage throw to Dashiell Hammett than see another blue laser shoot in the sky.