Why Nicolas Cage Is Happy: He Officially Confirms Marvel Series Cancelled Before His Role Lost Appeal

Cage’s Spider-Noir role

Cage played Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in Depression-era New York, in Spider-Noir. The character has a past he would rather leave behind. Cage had previously voiced a Spider-Man with the feel of an old detective movie in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The live-action series gave him eight episodes to explore the approach, with Prime Video offering viewers color and black-and-white versions.

Why a second season worried him

Prime Video cancelled Spider-Noir in September, a little over three months after its release. Cage had already said one season was enough in a statement following the cancellation.

Speaking to IGN at the Madden red carpet, Cage said he was relieved the show would not continue. He worried that repeating his performance as Ben Reilly could make it less effective over a second or third season. Cage called the part “pretty high-risk, tightrope stuff,” and summed up his response to the cancellation with “Whew, thank you!”

Strong audience and awards showing

Despite the cancellation, the series had notable viewing figures and awards recognition. Nielsen reported 2.6 billion U.S. viewing minutes during its first six weeks. Spider-Noir also earned 11 Emmy nominations. Those numbers helped give viewers reason to expect Prime Video might order another season.