That’s ‘Spider-Punk’ to you! Daniel Kaluuya joins ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ cast

Next summer’s return trip to Spider-Man’s innovative animated neighborhood just got a direct injection of Oscar-winning talent. Get Out and Nope star Daniel Kaluuya is reportedly on board as the newest member of an already stacked voice cast for Sony’s upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — a 2018 film which itself knows something about awards.

Variety reports that Kaluuya has swung toward Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as the voice of Hobart “Hobie” Brown, aka Spider-Punk, a relatively recent Spidey spinoff character first introduced in 2015 via the #10 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3. Created by Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel, Spider-Punk’s alt-Spidey persona on Earth-138 is that of a once-homeless teen who picks up a guitar and marshals his New York City neighborhood (with fist-pumping music!) to oppose nefarious President Ozzy Osborn.

Kaluuya joins a previously-announced Across the Spider-Verse voice cast that’s peppered with familiar names including Shameik Moore as main man Miles Morales, Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara (aka Spider-Man 2099), Hawkeye star Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis (Miles’ dad), Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales (Miles’ mom), Issa Rae as Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman), Jorma Taccone as Vulture, and Jason Schwartzman as time-bending scientist Spot. Rachel Dratch also will appear as Miles’ school counselor, while Shea Whigham will play Police Cpt. George Stacy, who — as the name suggests — is none other than Gwen’s dad.

The Kaluuya-voiced role of Hobie will mark the aurally-inclined arachnid’s first ever appearance in a Marvel screen production after Spider-Punk’s 2015 comic book debut. It’s just the latest in a busy acting run for Kaluuya, who’s fresh from his leading turn in Nope and the almost-here Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, plus an upcoming writing credit (his first) in Netflix’s The Kitchen — a dystopian thriller set in 2040 London and starring musician Kane Robinson, aka Kano. Kaluuya scored a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award at last year’s Oscars for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, after earning his first Oscars nomination in 2018 for Jordan Peele’s Get Out.

Produced by Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg, and the dynamic duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who also serve as writers alongside David Callaham), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is slated to swing into theaters on June 2, 2023 as the second installment in Sony’s planned Spider-Verse trilogy. The third and final film in the cycle is set to arrive March 29, 2024.

Check out Kaluuya's UFO and horse wrangling skills in Nope, now streaming on Peacock!