Nicolas Cage says he felt relieved when Prime Video cancelled “Spider-Noir” after one season, arguing that extending the series could have risked making his character repetitive, according to Variety.
In an interview with IGN, the “National Treasure” actor said he had no desire to explore further stories about Ben Reilly, the private investigator he portrayed in the series.
“It’s a perfect season. You never wanna get stuck repeating a character and wear out your welcome,” Cage said. He described the role as a high-risk performance that could lose its impact if continued into a second or third season.
Cage added that he welcomed the cancellation because it allowed him to move on to other projects. He is set to star in the fifth season of HBO’s “True Detective”, which he noted would also feature a standalone story.
“I didn’t wanna keep repeating it. I don’t like repeating myself,” he said, adding that he loved the character and believed the first season would remain fresh.
Last month, Cage criticised Amazon following reports that the company had asked him to sign an artificial intelligence waiver related to “Spider-Noir”.
Speaking at a New York Comic Con panel, the actor said he opposed the use of AI in his work and confirmed that he had not signed the waiver.
“I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots!” Cage said. He added that he might not work with the studio again but was comfortable with that possibility.
Despite its cancellation, “Spider-Noir” recorded substantial viewership. According to Nielsen’s streaming ratings, the series accumulated 2.6 billion viewing minutes during its first six weeks.
The show also received 11 Emmy nominations and won five awards.
Cage will star alongside Antonio Banderas in the upcoming fifth season of “True Detective”.
He will also appear in “Madden”, a biographical film about American football figure John Madden. The story follows Madden’s journey from his Super Bowl-winning partnership with Al Davis and the Raiders to the creation of the “Madden NFL” video game franchise and his rise as one of football’s most recognisable voices.
The film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on 11 November, followed by a global streaming release on Prime Video on 18 November.
