Josh Keaton Voices the Amazing Spider-Man in 'Spider-Man: Edge of Time'

Comic book and pop culture conventions tend to attract lots of people who want to make their mark in publishing or the movies. That's especially true at panel discussions about new animated adventures and video games, where would-be voice actors ask the professionals how they can get voice-over work.

When asked that same question, Josh Keaton said his voice-over work was an outgrowth of his on-camera career. "I still do on-camera; that's where I really started out. I had this propensity to pronounce everything perfectly," Keaton said via telephone. "That led me to some of these jobs. I did the 'Back to the Future' cartoons when I was younger. I played an over-pronouncing, brainy kid of Doc Brown's. I also did a 'Peter Pan and the Pirates' cartoon."

Keaton, who provides the voice of the Amazing Spider-Man in Activision's upcoming "Spider-Man: Edge of Time," points out, however, that his on-camera agent sent him on these voice-over auditions. "At the time, I wasn't really pursuing voice-over. Then I did the Disney movie 'Hercules,'" he said. "It wasn't until after that that I was approached by a dedicated voice-over agent that only handled voice-over."

Keaton earned his web credentials by providing the voices for Peter Parker and his alter-ego in the animated series "The Spectacular Spider-Man." "I think they auditioned something like 3000 people for that (the series)," he said. "The first audition I did from home. I have a studio at home and I got the sides, which are the audition scripts that you read. I already had a lot of knowledge about Spider-Man because that's been my favorite character, probably the only comic book character that I have consistently read throughout my life."

"Spider-Man: Edge of Time" takes place in both the contemporary world of the Amazing Spider-Man and the futuristic world of Spider-Man 2099. The players make decisions in the game that affect both timelines, with the ultimate goal of saving the future from destruction.

Keaton continued web-swinging in the video game "Shattered Dimensions," where he gave voice to the younger and brasher Ultimate Spider-Man. Activision liked his work and brought him back for "Edge of Time." "(Recording) sessions are 4 hours at a time. With 'Edge of Time,' what's really been different about the recording process is that it is not just me in a room by myself," Keaton said.

"I've been fortunate to have some session with Chris Barnes, who plays Spider-Man 2099. He also was Spider-Man in the 1990's in ''¹..."Spider-Man: The Animated Series'. They miked us in separate rooms separated by a glass partition so we could still see each other. It felt much natural. It leads to more realistic interchanges. It was a much more fun way, as an actor, for me to work," he said.

"Spider-Man: Edge of Time" is set for a multi-platform release in Fall 2011.