Nicolas Cage the ‘Creative Force’ on New ‘Spider-Noir’ T.V. Show: Execs ‘Are in Over Their Heads’

Nicolas Cage is back at work on the set of the Spider-Man TV spinoff Spider-Noir, which is set in the 1930s, and he’s throwing his heart and soul into the project while carrying the hopes and dreams of the cast and crew with incredible passion and dedication, a source on set exclusively reveals to Closer. 

“The show is no joke. It’s massively expensive, Sony TV is producing it, Amazon is paying for it and distributing it, and Nicolas is making his first ever TV series after 25 years of TV offers that he rejected, repeatedly, because he was focused on his movie career and, later, making as many movies as possible to correct his debt situation,” the insider says.

Nic, 61, has reportedly been in debt a number of times, and once owed $6 million to the IRS after “over-investing” in real estate, which forced him to take a string of not-so-A-list roles. He went on to tell 60 Minutes, “Even if the movie ultimately is crummy, they know I’m not phoning it in, that I care every time.”

“It’s a huge deal for him to do a TV show,” the source confirms, “and he’s getting paid well, but he’s doing this out of passion.” 

While for many other top actors, finding their place in a superhero franchise just means a huge payday, but for Nic, his passion for Spider-Man is rather personal and drives his own creative decisions on set. “There is no bigger comic book fan among A-listers than Nic Cage,” the insider continues. The Leaving Las Vegas star even put a huge chunk of his collection – over 400 issues – up for auction in 2002, which drew in $1.68 million for the then-indebted actor. “He’s paid tens of thousands of dollars for individual comic books and he is still an avid follower of the genre. He takes playing this film noir variation on Spidey incredibly seriously and brings a thousand new ideas to the set every day.” 

“That fact alone has shifted a lot of the power on Spider-Noir into Nic’s corner, and he’s loving it. Nobody knows more about the character and his incredible literary legacy than Nic, and he’s flexing his muscles in that regard.”

“This show is not cheap, and without a bona-fide comic book nerd like Nic in the central role and calling all of the admittedly eccentric shots, it would be doomed. Yes, the executives are in over their heads and Amazon is in wait-and-see mode because there are a lot of expensive special effects still to be added, but when it comes to story and the soul of the Spider-Man franchise, Nic has stepped up and he’s undeniably the one creative force on this show that is making an enormous difference.” 

“He’s eccentric and he’s on his own planet and sometimes people don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but his insight is driving this show and if it’s a success, he can take tons of credit for that.”