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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nJeff Trammell, Emmy and Annie nominated writer on Craig of the Creek<\/em>, is the creator (as well as EP and writer) of the new Marvel animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man<\/em>. The first two episodes premiere tomorrow, Wednesday January 29th, on Disney+. The remaining eight episodes debut over the next three Wednesdays. Trammell shares insights on the show\u2019s story, look, characters and cast, including one of this year\u2019s Oscar nominees. (This Animation Scoop Q&A<\/em> was edited for length and clarity.)<\/p>\n Jackson Murphy<\/strong>: You were Emmy and Annie nominated for \u201cCraig of the Creek\u201d. How did you work on that series inspire you and lead you to \u201cSpider-Man\u201d?<\/p>\n Jeff Trammell:<\/strong> \u201cCraig\u201d had a lot going for it. It\u2019s a huge world. There was a lot of setting up characters and building them and knowing that we\u2019re gonna pay them off later\u2026 along with long-term storytelling that we were really invested in doing. Influenced my storytelling in terms of building blocks and building a story out. Another thing is: being on that show showed me how much it means for people to have proper representation. That\u2019s a thing I definitely wanted to carry through. In working on \u201cSpidey\u201d, I wanted to make sure New York felt inclusive and representative of present day New York. We\u2019re seeing all types of people, colors and creeds.<\/p>\n JM<\/strong>: You succeed with all of that. There\u2019s great, diverse characters here. It\u2019s Peter Parker in an alternate timeline. A new spin. How do Lonnie, Nico and Pearl influence Peter and shape him into this Spider-Man?<\/p>\n JT<\/strong>: There\u2019s so much at play here in a fun way. Peter and Pearl have history. They\u2019ve known each other for years before the show has even started. Nico, as Peter\u2019s best friend, allows a really fun, new dynamic. She\u2019s a bit sarcastic, but they truly care for one another and are always there for one another. That colors Peter\u2019s worldview. She\u2019s a bit of a reality check. Lonnie was a character I really wanted to dig into\u2026 a lot of preconceived notions. When you see Lonnie you\u2019re like, \u201cOh, he\u2019s the jock, and Peter\u2019s the nerd. And he\u2019s gonna bully Peter.\u201d And that was nothing I ever even considered going down. I just really want Lonnie to feel like, in a lot of ways, the cool big brother. Having him for Peter is another fun dynamic as well.<\/p>\n JM:<\/strong> I see that for sure. And also Norman Osborn is in this \u2014 and he\u2019s voiced by two-time Academy Award nominee (as of the other day) Colman Domingo. One of the most in-demand actors right now, and he\u2019s got a lot of gravitas in this Norman Osborn. How did you get Colman on board, and how was it working with him?<\/p>\n JT:<\/strong> We asked him. (laughs) It\u2019s kinda crazy. It was honestly that simple. This Norman is very different from a lot of the Normans from the past, but one thing that he\u2019s always gotta have is exactly what you said, that gravitas. He\u2019s a person that commands respect\u2026 but also approachable and warm. While there\u2019s a wall there, it\u2019s true that he cares as well. Who can we have that can embody that? It\u2019s a really fine line to walk. Our supervising director Mel Zwyer suggested Colman Domingo. I said, \u201cThat\u2019s brilliant. We should ask him immediately.\u201d We reached out \u2014 and this is right when everything was blowing up for Colman as well \u2014 and he was super interested. He comes into the studio and is always game to try stuff. He cares so much and he\u2019s really putting such a great performance into Norman. He knows who that character is, and that\u2019s really cool.<\/p>\n JM:<\/strong> Awesome. I love this comic book visual style. The colors really pop on the screen. What kind of care went into making sure the colors look as good as they do?<\/p>\n JT<\/strong>: Thank you so much! (laughs) Every stage throughout the production \u2014 our designs, working with our amazing designers\u2026 our lead character designer, Leo Romero, working with W. Scott Forbes\u2026 so many talented comic book artists, and then translating that to the show. Working with our vendors, Polygon Pictures in Tokyo and CGCG in Taipei. And then even bringing it back to our team at Marvel Animation. Honestly going through the entire episode and going, \u201cAlright, let\u2019s push this even more. Make sure this green on Norman\u2019s suit really resonates\u2026\u201d The sky feels great against Peter\u2019s suit. So much work went into it, even beyond what the typical viewer will catch. But it\u2019s all a labor of love in making sure that world feels bright, like a moving comic \u2014 and a fun way you\u2019re part of it.<\/p>\n JM:<\/strong> Yes. Did that also impact your storytelling decisions, knowing, \u201cOkay, maybe I\u2019m gonna do the panel graphic here and there\u201d?<\/p>\n JT:<\/strong> You know, it\u2019s interesting. The panel graphic stuff actually came a little later as we were storyboarding. It wasn\u2019t in the first script for the first few episodes, but once we got to the board stage, it was another avenue we could really tap into. It really freed us up. And in the later half\u2026 \u2018Peter walks from this panel into the other panel\u2019. It was fun working it out. In that moment, our board team influenced our writing team. Each part of the show and pipeline is always contributing. It\u2019s a symbiosis where everyone is learning from one another in a fun way.<\/p>\n Jeff Trammell<\/p>\n<\/div>\n JM:<\/strong> Spider-Man is a character all ages love, and I think there are a lot of kids who act out scenes and situations with their friends as Spider-Man, the villains and various characters. When you were growing up, did you have any of those experiences and any stories you made up about Spider-Man that you\u2019ve been able to put into this show?<\/p>\n JT<\/strong>: Wow. (laughs) Tough question. I definitely had a lot of those experiences: schoolyard playing of Spider-Man and Venom. In terms of stories or avenues I pursued as a kid that I wanted to put into this show\u2026 honestly not really. At its base, when I was a kid, I just thought Spider-Man was the coolest thing. He\u2019s such a fun character because he\u2019s so relatable. That is what I\u2019ve always carried through \u2014 making sure we have that relatability for Peter. It\u2019s finding what Spider-Man has always meant to me and making sure that\u2019s on the screen because I know that can mean the same for someone else out there.<\/p>\n JM:<\/strong> I was gonna ask you about what you think of Peter\u2019s character and how he\u2019s very curious and how he looks out for the best in other people. How did you want to get that across in the show?<\/p>\n JT:<\/strong> Peter\u2019s got so much heart. That has always been the core of Peter Parker. If something\u2019s happening, he\u2019s not gonna sit by on the sidelines. He\u2019s gonna get involved. And that\u2019s evident by him getting these powers and his first thing is, \u201cI gotta help people.\u201d For me, that\u2019s always been the throughline of Peter, making sure you feel that heart \u2014 that love for everyone around him and his willingness to always want to help people and be better at helping people. That\u2019s the defining characteristic of Peter. In our show especially, you see that on display. You see that he cares, almost to a detriment. He\u2019ll never stop doing what he can to help people, whether that means getting knocked down and getting back up again. He\u2019s always gonna be there because he knows that people need someone like him.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.animationscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/NeighborhoodSpiderMan1-463.jpg\")
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