Spider-Noir: Building a Heroic Film-Noir Sound with Composer MICHAEL DEAN PARSONS | SDCC 2026
Composer Michael Dean Parsons takes us inside the music of Spider-Noir and Bridgerton!
Let’s swing into the musical world of Spider-Noir. Michael explains how he and Kris Bowers studied classic film-noir scores to create something fresh for Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly—combining vintage orchestration with superhero energy, electric guitar, electronics, and even the theremin.
How do you score a Spider-Man film noir? Michael discusses writing character-specific themes, scoring all eight episodes as one complete arc, balancing music with sound effects, and composing entirely to the show’s black-and-white version before finally seeing it in color.
Michael shares how he and Kris Bowers co-wrote the now-iconic Bridgerton main theme, blending period influences with a playful, modern sound. He also reflects on hearing the theme performed by string quartets at weddings, proposals, and live events around the world. T
his video was recorded at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 at a composer roundtable.
