How the legendary Hollywood classic inspired Spider-Man: Via the Spider-Verse
Taking inspiration from Lawrence of Arabia while making a film of artistically epic proportions makes sense, but the scope of the production wasn’t the only connective tissue between the legendary Hollywood classic and the ultra-modern animated film. “We also thought a lot about the idea of not writing anything down,” Miller said. One of the constant themes running throughout Lawrence of Arabia is dealing with identity, and the divided loyalties of the novel’s protagonist, T. E. Lawrence, between his native Britain and his new companions in the Arab tribes. Miles’ struggle to adjust to life as Spider-Man while maintaining his relationship with his loving family is the core of his internal conflicts.
“This movie has a very great script, but the idea that your fate is written is something that irritates Miles,” Lord said. “It’s a phrase we repeated often when we were thinking about the film.” In terms of superheroes, it’s all about breaking the law. Miles challenges the character development formula for all Spider-people, which, for Miguel O’Hara aka Spider-Man 2099, is the ultimate spider-crime. We’ll have to wait until the third installment, “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” to see what fate awaits Miles Morales, but if there’s one thing we can count on — it’s the knowledge that his hero’s journey isn’t beholden to him. No specific formula. The rest is still unwritten.
