New Spider-Man TV series tipped to be nearing greenlight – and it's based on iconic Marvel Comics story

Another of Spider-Man's most controversial comic book storylines is heading to the screen, only this time as a streaming series in the vein of Spider-Noir.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe recently adapted the infamous One More Day and Brand New Day arcs – which erased Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson's romance – as two wildly popular Tom Holland films.

Now, Prime Video and Sony Television is eyeing a similar trick for the Clone Saga, a convoluted and widely criticised chapter in the Spider-Man lore.

The sprawling '90s comic event picked up on a long-dormant '70s plot thread in which Peter fought a clone of himself – and the victor of the battle was left ambiguous.

In a controversial twist, the Clone Saga later revealed that the version of Peter who fans had come to love had actually been a clone for the last two decades.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

It didn't go down well, and the development was later reversed.

While the Clone Saga itself holds a poor reputation among many longtime Spidey readers, the remnants it left behind have been salvaged remarkably well.

Namely, Ben Reilly (Peter's perfected clone) and Kaine Parker (a discarded earlier clone) have gone on to respectable second lives, appearing variably as antiheroes, allies and enemies to Spider-Man.

According to Deadline, Ben and Kaine will be the lead characters in a proposed Clone Saga streaming series on Prime Video, which may deviate substantially from the divisive source material.

Kelvin Yu has been tapped to oversee the new project, having previously worked on well-received Disney Plus show American Born Chinese.

Of course, Ben Reilly was also the name of Nicolas Cage's character in Spider-Noir – although, per Deadline, this was due to legal rights prohibiting a live-action Peter Parker on the small screen.

Reusing the name would create a tangible connection between Spider-Noir and this as-yet-untitled Clone Saga series, perhaps heralding the creation of a 'Reilly-verse' for Sony and Prime Video to explore further.

In the comics, the cloned Peter chose to be known as Ben Reilly, as it combined the first name of his late uncle and the maiden name of Aunt May.

An alter-ego that Ben and Kaine have subsequently adopted in the comics is Scarlet Spider; a cult favourite Spider-Man spin-off yet to be depicted in live-action.

Prime Video announced earlier this month that Spider-Noir would not return for a second season, despite strong reviews and several Emmy nominations. Alas, viewership wasn't quite strong enough to justify the show's eye-watering price tag.

However, Prime Video remains committed to a multi-title deal to adapt Spider-Man-adjacent characters that Sony holds the rights to.

The arrangement is a change of tactic for Sony, which had previously tried to launch an MCU-style film universe comprised of Venom, Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter.

It was discontinued after successive box office failures and savagely bad reviews.

So far, the Prime Video partnership has proven more fruitful, but we'll have to wait and see if this Clone Saga adaptation is a worthy follow-up to the celebrated Spider-Noir.

The project is reportedly close to securing a series order.

Spider-Noir is available to stream on Prime Video. Sign up for Amazon Prime for £8.99 a month.

Add Spider-Noir to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.