An entire army of artists and incredibly creative people were responsible for bringing “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” to life, and this was not just an exercise that sprung fully formed from one person’s mind. The incredibly collaborative nature of bringing this expansive movie to life is reflected in how the feature was helmed by a trio of directors. Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and Joaquim Dos Santos all worked together to direct “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Each of them came from wildly different backgrounds, with Powers, for instance, being a playwright and co-director on Pixar’s “Soul,” while Dos Santos was a veteran of directing direct-to-video superhero fare like the 2010 feature “Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam.” However, despite their disparate creative experiences, the trio ended up working swimmingly on “Across the Spider-Verse.”
Powers explained to Collider that — though initially, all three men had overlapping creative duties on “Across the Spider-Verse” — they eventually had very distinct responsibilities in crafting the movie. These tasks played to each artist’s strength, with veteran production designer Thompson focusing on visuals, Dos Santos focusing on camerawork and how to translate the script to animation, and Powers directing voice-over sessions with the cast. This kind of delegation allowed each of the “Across the Spider-Verse” directors to bring their A-game to the proceedings and to embody the collaborative creative spirit fueling the whole movie.