‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’ Composer Says an Early Cut Moved Him to Tears, and Fans Should Brace Themselves

Few movie sequels have tested fan patience quite like ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’. Since ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ left Miles Morales stranded in the wrong universe, fans have waited through delays, rumors and a shifting release calendar. Any real glimpse of the finished film has felt like a lifeline.

The trilogy finale was first dated for March 29, 2024, before Sony pulled it from the schedule. At CinemaCon in 2025 it landed on a new date of June 4, 2027, then moved to June 25, and the studio has since moved it up to June 18, 2027, according to ComicBasics. That date puts it up against Disney’s animated ‘Gatto.’

Now one of the film’s key collaborators has given fans a rare reaction. Composer Daniel Pemberton, who scored ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ and ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ and is working on the finale, said at Deadline Sound and Screen that he watched an early cut and cried several times. He stressed that what he saw was still an animatic, which makes the response even more striking.

Pemberton told the audience that if an unfinished version can do that, everyone is in for a real treat. He added that the team knows it has to deliver the greatest ending to a trilogy ever. The remarks drew immediate attention online, given how rarely anyone attached to the project says anything about the film’s content.

Pemberton has been a steady voice through the production’s rough patches. In September 2024 he pushed back on a report that large parts of the film had been scrapped, joking that not everything online is accurate. Producer Chris Miller also denied the claim, saying nothing had been scrapped and that the reels were coming along nicely.

He has also been careful about spoilers. Coverage has noted that he is sworn to secrecy on details, and he has not said which scenes got to him. That restraint makes the emotional reaction feel more credible, since it is a reaction to the story and not a plot tease.

The trilogy’s creators have been open about how high they set the bar. Miller said earlier this year that no one puts more pressure on the team than they put on themselves, and that they want to deliver something fans have never experienced before. Pemberton’s comments echo that ambition.

The path to the finale has been complicated. The original version of the third film was reportedly split into two movies, though Miller later said the team folded it back into one. Production was also disrupted by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and filming resumed by December of that year. Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson were announced as directors of the final chapter.

The film picks up right after ‘Across the Spider-Verse’, which ended with Miles facing a Prowler version of himself in another dimension. The returning cast is expected to include Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya and Jason Schwartzman, among others. Sony has said the story will close out Miles’ arc in this universe.

Pemberton’s score for ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ blended a 100-piece orchestra with DJ scratching, and it became a major part of the franchise’s identity. He has also said he is at peace with the trilogy ending and would be open to scoring spin-off shows. That makes the finale feel like a send-off for him as well.

For fans, the composer’s reaction is the strongest hint yet that the long wait may be justified. There is still no trailer, and Sony has kept the plot under tight wraps. Until footage arrives, reports like this one are what the community has to go on.

Months of rumors have given way to an emotional endorsement from someone who has actually watched the film. It does not guarantee a masterpiece, but it points to a finale that lands emotionally.

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