Issa Rae Signs on to Voice Spider-Woman in 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Sequel

Rae has been cast as Jessica Drew in the highly-anticipated sequel, opening up yet another fold in the already expansive "Spider-Verse."

Issa Rae is about to enter the "Spider-Verse."

According to a report from Variety, the Insecure star and creator has been cast as Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, in an upcoming sequel to the hit 2018 animated movie, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Story details have, of course, been kept entirely under wraps, but Drew's inclusion in the sequel expands the scope of an already colossal multi-dimensional universe.

In the comics, Drew is the child of Eastern European-ish scientists experimenting with uranium. At some point in her early years, Drew is overridden with radiation poisoning and treated by her parents with an antidote derived from, you guessed it, spider stuff, which brought on a range of abilities not different from Peter Parker's, or in the case of Into The Spider-Verse, those of young Miles Morales. Rae's Jessica Drew will join a number of Spider-People in the highly-anticipated sequel. Shameik Moore's Morales and Hailee Steinfeld's Spider-Gwen are both confirmed for part deux. However, it's unclear whether John Mulaney's Spider-Ham and Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man Noir will return for the sequel. But given the scale of Into The Spider-Verse's world, it's hard to count them out at the moment. It should also be noted, Rae's inclusion in the sequel makes her a potential candidate for an MCU role, as the comic book giant has effectively treated the Spider-Verse as an incubator for its incoming cinematic "phases." Several actors featured in the original film -- including Steinfeld, Kathryn Hahn, and Mahershala Ali -- have gone on to take roles in Marvel's live-action treatments.

Issa Rae joins a production headed by Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Justin K. Thompson in the director's chairs. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will pull double duty as screenwriters and producers on the film, while original Spider-Verse director, Peter Ramsey, is returning as executive producer. The film is currently on the calendar to premiere on October 7th, 2022. Stay tuned for updates on the Into The Spider-Verse sequel in the months ahead.