Ever since the Sam Raimi-helmed iteration shattered box-office records back in the early 2000s, it seems the Spider-Man franchise simply cannot be stopped. In addition to the third animated Spider-Verse film currently in the works, along with Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Noir series taking shape, there is a highly anticipated fourth live-action, Tom Holland-led film announced and coming into fruition. Sadie Sink was just announced to join the sequel, for example, with additional juicy updates expected in the not-too-distant future. One of Holland’s co-stars from the first three hit movies is rising star Jacob Batalon, who nails the role of Peter Parker’s pal Ned Leeds.
MovieWeb recently spoke with Batalon at the Novocaine junket in Los Angeles, where the fan-favorite performer also took time to speak about his deadpan-hilarious Spider-Man character. He also addressed those online theories that have swirled about whether Ned will turn into Hobgoblin at some point, as was similarly the case in the O.G. Spidey comic books.
“I gotta say, I may not have known what they were, but I know people were really speculating,” Batalon told us about those fan theories. “I think I tried to avoid [the theories] on purpose, but I imagine it’s something really crazy… I mean, honestly, it’s great though, because it makes me feel like, ‘Right, people don’t know, and I truly don’t know either!”
The “Ridiculous” Fun of ‘Novocaine’
For now, Batalon is equally comedic in his supporting role in Paramount’s Novocaine, now playing in theaters. His wise-cracking gamer character Roscoe makes a grand entrance is one of the film’s most remarkable scenes: a hysterical booby trap-laced escapade that ends with Batalon playing a key role. “I think that being such a funny part was really a big deal,” Batalon told us in thinking about why he initially joined the project. “But also, just like the entire story itself was so ridiculous… I just wanted to be a part of it because I knew it was going to be an incredible journey.”
Leading up to Batalon’s on-screen introduction in Novocaine, you can hear his voice throughout the first and second acts — given that Roscoe’s friendship with protagonist Nate (Jack Quaid) all started with a simple online-gaming linkup. Batalon shared about how was able to keep up the laughs at the beginning, even when all we heard was his voice through the phone. “I feel like [directors] Dan and Bobby, we kind of just recorded them and then kept doing them until it was funny, because I feel like I was gonna just say whatever,” said Batalon. “I think that that’s really how we went about it. There wasn’t really any, like, secret technique to it.”
And then there are Batalon’s stellar scenes with Quaid in the flesh, where together, their overwhelmed characters must thwart a deadly bank heist. “I met [Jack] a few times just outside of work before, and it was great,” Batalon told us. “And we just so happened to tell each other we should go work on something at some point. Yeah, it just kind of happened, right? And yeah, he’s really great.” We’re certainly glad it worked out. From Paramount Pictures, Novocaine is now playing in theaters.
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2025-03-17 04:18