We’d all heard of Marvel’s plans for the next ‘phase’ of the Avengers franchise… plenty of new characters that would expand the Universe, freshen the franchise up and take the focus off the current ageing / increasingly in demand cast. We’d even heard rumours of a certain web-slinging, wall-climbing superhero being a big part of such plans… However, with Marvel/Disney not owning the rights to Spiderman – Sony had, and still has, them – it seemed all so very, very far away.
Well, time to punch the air with your fist because today Sony and Marvel have agreed a deal where the two studios will work together in such a way that Marvel will be heavily involved in the creation of future Spiderman films (thank goodness, right? The last two Sony films have NOT been up-to-par with any of Marvel’s releases) and – if we understand the press release correctly – bring the Spiderman Universe and Marvel universe into sync. The short version of all this is that Spiderman movies featuring The Avengers or Avengers movies featuring Spiderman (please-please-please) are likely just a few years away.
Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). We would assume this will be Captain America: Civil War next year, however whether this will be a full ‘appearance’ or an ‘after credits’ one is anyones guess. Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.
The only bad news in this announcement is that a few films have been put back a bit and one cancelled. To start with the worst news: the Sinister Six film now looks to have been completely written off. With that being said, there were already signs of it struggling behind the scenes. The pushing back of movies is minor, each being pushed back just a couple of months to make room for the Spider-man film. These include Thor: Ragnorak, Black Panther, Inhumans and Captain America 4.
Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: “Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”
“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”
Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide. We can’t wait to see what the Marvel and Sony link results in…
Jennie Ivins
This is really good news and I can’t wait to see how they integrate him with Civil War. Now they just need to get the X-Men back from Fox….