Prime Video is nearing a series order for a new live-action Spider-Man show based on the controversial 1990s Clone Saga. Developed by Kelvin Yu, the project follows the cancellation of Spider-Noir and focuses on Peter Parker clones Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker within Sony’s Marvel universe.
Amazon Prime Video is closing in on an order for a brand-new live-action series rooted in one of the most polarizing storylines in Marvel Comics history. The project takes the baton directly from Spider-Noir, which Prime Video recently canceled after one season.
Writer Kelvin Yu, creator of American Born Chinese, is spearheading the new adaptation. Out of four writers who had Spider-Man scripts under consideration at Amazon, Yu’s project is the one proceeding. Representatives for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony TV declined to comment on the report.
Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker Take Center Stage
Instead of focusing on Peter Parker, the series centers on two of his genetic duplicates: Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker. Situated within Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters, the new series draws from the well-known Clone Saga in Marvel Comics, specifically the second story arc involving the two Spider-Man clones, Kaine Parker and Ben Reilly.
The plot would center on Kaine Parker and Ben Reilly, two Spider-Man clones who will either struggle with their newly revealed nature as clones while confronting other duplicates or adopt new identities following the discovery of their origins. While Deadline’s sources cannot provide exact details, it seems there will be substantial alterations to the plots of the original comics.
Conflicting Plot Details and Major Creative Departures
Sony’s Spider-Man universe could become quite strange, which is precisely what those acquainted with the Clone Saga would anticipate. There is ample source material for a chaotic Spider-Man show if the production adopts the identity-switching insanity found in the comics. That series starred Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, who operated as Spider-Man Noir. This was already a significant deviation from the Marvel Comics, in which Spider-Man Noir is a different version of Peter Parker. Within the comics, Spider-Man Noir is Peter Parker, but the identity was changed for the television show due to carveouts in the rights. Interestingly, Nicolas Cage played Ben Reilly in Spider-Noir, but this new series will feature a different iteration of the character.
Reevaluating a Controversial Marvel Chapter
The original comic book arc is one of the most controversial (and often hated) Spider-Man comic book stories of all time: the 1990s Marvel Comics storyline about the Spider-Man clones Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, reports Deadline. Ben Reilly, the clone, debuted as a single-appearance character during the 1970s before returning in the ’90s. In a disputed plot twist, it was disclosed that Peter Parker was the clone and Ben was the original human, though Marvel promptly overturned that revelation. The Clone Saga also featured Kaine Parker, a flawed clone who was an antagonist in the storyline.
Earlier this month, Amazon MGM canceled the Prime Video series Spider-Noir starring Nic Cage, despite it receiving positive reviews. At that time, however, Deadline noted that Sony—the holder of the screen rights for Spider-Man characters—and Amazon were continuing to develop and brainstorm further Spider-projects. We now know the next project in line, as Amazon MGM nears an order for a new show based on the Clone Saga, a 1990s storyline that disrupted Spider-Man canon.
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