Nicolas Cage Relieved by 'Spider-Noir' Cancellation: 'It's a Perfect Season'

Prime Video canceled "Spider-Noir" after one season, and star Nicolas Cage says the cancellation came as a relief. The actor told IGN he had no interest in continuing the story of private investigator Ben Reilly.

"It's a perfect season," Cage said. "You never wanna get stuck repeating a character and wear out your welcome. Ben Riley is so idiosyncratic. I was doing something that was pretty high-risk, tightrope stuff — if you do that for Season 2, Season 3, you could really wear out your welcome."

Why was Cage relieved?

The actor answered with a flat "no" when IGN asked whether Reilly's story had more to explore. He framed the cancellation as liberation rather than loss.

"So when they didn't pick it up, I was like, 'Whew, thank you!'" Cage said. "Because now I'm doing 'True Detective,' and that's only one season. It's better that way, you know? I didn't wanna keep repeating it. I don't like repeating myself. It's perfect, and I love that character. I love that season, and it will always be there and always be fresh."

His logic is consistent, at least. One season stays fresh. Three seasons risk becoming an impersonation of yourself.

What happened with Amazon and AI?

Cage's enthusiasm for the show did not extend to the studio behind it. Last month, after the cancellation, he publicly criticized Amazon at a New York Comic Con panel for allegedly asking him to sign an AI waiver covering his performance.

"Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI," Cage said. "I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it's like, connect those dots! I'm not a member of their club. I didn't sign the waiver to let them use AI on 'Spider Noir.' I'm probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that's okay."

That is a rare public admission in the streaming era: an A-list actor stating plainly that a relationship with a major platform is likely over.

How well did the show actually perform?

By the numbers, "Spider-Noir" was no flop. Nielsen's streaming content ratings credited the series with 2.6 billion viewing minutes in its first six weeks. It earned 11 Emmy nominations and took home 5 wins.

Eleven nominations, five wins, one season, and a star who says "whew" at the news of its death. The economics of streaming remain mysterious to outsiders.

What is Cage doing next?

Cage will star alongside Antonio Banderas in the fifth season of HBO's "True Detective," an anthology format that suits his one-and-done preference. He also leads "Madden," a biopic about football coach and broadcaster John Madden.

Per the official logline, the film follows Madden's journey "from a Super Bowl-winning partnership with Al Davis and the Raiders, to creating Madden NFL, and becoming one of the iconic voices in football history." "Madden" opens in select theaters on Nov. 11 and streams globally on Prime Video on Nov. 18.

Yes, Prime Video. The same studio Cage says he probably won't work with again will distribute his next leading role. Hollywood's memory, like its streaming catalogs, works in mysterious ways.