Read John Mulaney's Idea For A 'Spider-Ham' Solo Movie

If you've seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, you're already familiar with the character of Spider-Ham, the hilarious Looney Tunes-style version of the webslinger who's voiced by comedian John Mulaney in the new movie. By featuring a multiverse and a particle collider that opens into different dimensions, Into the Spider-Verse opens up infinite possibilities for spin-offs – including a potential Spider-Ham solo film.

Now Mulaney, the former Saturday Night Live writer and Emmy Award-winning stand-up comic, has revealed his idea for a Spider-Ham movie, and he's interested in exploring the character's alter-ego, Peter Porker.

We recently got an update about the future of the animated Spider-Verse, and in the Vanity Fair article that provided the basis for that update, producer Amy Pascal spoke fondly about the idea of a Spider-Ham spin-off: "Of course! You can imagine how much the kids love that character. Producer Avi Arad, who has been overseeing Spider-Man since the 1990s animated series, agreed: "Yeah. We want piggy."

In the comics and in the new animated movie, Spider-Ham was born as a spider but was bit by a radioactive pig, turning him into "Peter Porker," an unconventional web-slinger. He's a classic jokester, quick to produce a novelty-sized mallet or an anvil to drop on enemies' heads in a fight.

In a new interview with Variety, Mulaney was asked about a potential spin-off, and he explained how he "never thought that the Clark Kents and the Peter Parkers leaned enough into the day job," so his pitch addresses that:

"[Spider-Ham] is a fun guy who is capable of great rage. To go see him back at the Daily [B]eagle — I could see a Watergate-like story at the Beagle where he's both a reporter and Spider-Ham by night...this would be more like The Post or All The President's Men or Spotlight, but we'd make it family friendly. Lots of bacon jokes, or, 'that's hamfisted.'"

Whether Sony uses Mulaney's pitch or not, it sounds like the studio is seriously contemplating giving this character his own movie. Spider-Ham is a character who's proven to work well in small doses, butting into the action and providing some humor with a quip or a sight gag. Could the character carry the weight of an entire animated feature on his shoulders? Perhaps we won't have to wait too long to find out, but the idea of concentrating more on a Peter Porker storyline might be a good way to avoid audience fatigue for a superhero character we've just met on the big screen.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in theaters right now.