Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse enjoyed a triumphant release in June 2023 as it became one of the year's biggest blockbusters. However, a troubling incident came to light involving accusations against one of Sony Pictures' leading producers. In the wake of the movie's success, a group of VFX artists from Sony Animation came forward with alarming allegations regarding their gruelling working conditions while collaborating with Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. Now, the producers are addressing the allegations.
Chris Miller and Phil Lord recently spoke to Variety while promoting their latest project The Afterparty. During the interview, the producers were asked about the situation. Lord chose his words carefully when addressing the touchy subject.
"I’ve always been optimistic about this labor movement, because these deals seem incredibly makeable, and the main problem is that only one party wants to negotiate," he said. "But as long as both parties will come to negotiate in good faith and address the very real problems, like writers’ pay — which is down 25% and is a concrete issue that can be addressed — and make the business healthy so people can do this job and pay their rent, we’re going to be in great shape. I’m frustrated, but I think this is an imminently solvable problem."
Lord went on to praise the crew who worked on Spider-Verse 2.
"In terms of Spider-Verse, that was a really hard movie to make," he said. "We’re really proud of how hard everybody worked, and it was very demanding. But we’re just really proud of the crew, and everything they put into it."
There have been reports of the difficulty in finishing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Lord was right in the middle of it. Amy Pascal, the former chairperson of Sony, categorically refuted the reported discord that had surfaced between Phil Lord and Sony Pictures. Lord had been portrayed as "assertive" in his requests, seeking ultimate authority over every sequence in the project.
The situation compelled numerous employees to endure strenuous 11-hour workdays and, in some instances, toil relentlessly seven days a week. These challenging conditions raised significant concerns regarding Sony's methodologies in the production of its high-profile blockbuster endeavors. Needless to say, fans are hoping that a remedy will be put in place so the sequel can resume production.
For now, the follow-up to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse appears to be unfinished as production has been put to a halt due to the ongoing strikes. In addition to that, Sony Pictures has removed Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse from its current line-up so the sequel has not been given a new release date. In the meantime, fans remain hopeful that the third film will get an update before the end of the year. Make sure to check this page for the latest news on this story.
