Shots have been fired… or maybe, webs have
been slung?
Marvel fans had their worst fears realized
on August 20th, when it came to light that
Disney and Sony couldn't come to an agreement
to keep Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe in upcoming releases.
After Sony-produced films like 2007's Spider-Man
3 and 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed
to truly capture the essence of the web-slinger,
and in light of just how popular and successful
Spider-Man has been in the MCU, fans have
been quick to denounce the decision.
Once the story went public, Sony wasted little
time in issuing its response and - surprise,
surprise - they are placing the blame on Disney.
"What is this, pro wrestling?"
"Whatever, old man."
An unnamed Sony spokesperson told the Hollywood
Reporter that the studio is "disappointed"
with the outcome, and confirmed that Marvel
Studios president Kevin Feige will no longer
produce Spider-Man movies in the future.
The spokesperson stated:
"We are disappointed, but respect Disney's
decision not to have him continue as a lead
producer of our next live-action Spider-Man
film.
We hope this might change in the future, but
understand that the many new responsibilities
that Disney has given him - including all
their newly added Marvel properties - do not
allow time for him to work on IP they do not
own."
Apparently, the fallout between the two companies
came after Disney suggested it deserved more
of the profit from future Spider-Man movies,
requesting the standing five percent day-one
box office cut to be increased to a 50 percent
co-financing stake in the franchise.
Obviously, Sony turned that down, wanting
the current deal - in which Disney also receives
all merchandising revenue - to continue instead.
To be fair to Sony, Feige does seem to have
more on his plate than ever before.
With the Mouse House launching its streaming
platform Disney+ at the end of the year, the
head of Marvel Studios is hard at work making
sure the numerous superhero offerings that
are coming to the platform are up to snuff
- not to mention ensuring the success of the
various Phase 4 films that are in the works
as well.
And with the surprisingly massive box office
of Venom and the critical and commercial success
of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony
is in a much stronger place with its comic
book franchise than it was back when the original
deal was struck with Disney in 2015.
Sony has had the film rights to Spider-Man
since 1999, back when Marvel Comics was doing
its best to recover from bankruptcy and resorted
to licensing many of its most popular characters
to film studios just to stay afloat.
Times have changed for both companies, and
Sony is evidently standing its ground in a
major way.
For his part, Tom Holland - who has played
Marvel's wall-crawler in five films since
first appearing in 2016's Captain America:
Civil War - is contracted to appear as Spider-Man
in two more standalone movies for Sony.
Of course, Spider-Man solo pictures are not
the only thing Sony Pictures has going on
right now, as the studio is looking to create
its own successful franchise of Marvel-based
films after Venom did gangbusters at the box
office.
Previously announced films that are in pre-production
at the studio include an Andy Serkis-directed
Venom sequel and a pic starring Jared Leto
as classic Marvel antihero Morbius the Living
Vampire.
The studio also hasn't been shy about other
possible projects to expand its Spider-Man
universe.
In an interview with Vanity Fair in late 2018,
then-series producer Amy Pascal mentioned
that Sony was interested in reviving the previously
shelved Sinister Six film based on the iconic
group of Spider-Man villains.
In light of all this news, many questions
remain.
Can Holland's Peter Parker leave one cinematic
universe merely to join another?
Are fans of the MCU ready and willing to support
Spider-Man outside of Feige's steady and knowledgeable
hands?
The last truly successful non-animated Spider-Man
film Sony produced came over 15 years ago
with Sam Raimi's iconic 2004 picture Spider-Man
2.
"Hey, you guys.
No playing in the streets."
"Yes, Mr. Spider-Man."
That's an eternity in Hollywood time, but
it's possible that time has given Sony perspective
and that the studio could put together a team
that creates a remarkable piece of filmmaking
that blows the box office apart.
One thing's for sure: given that superhero
films are largely a surefire box office draw
in Tinseltown, Spider-Man leaving the MCU
is a major shift with billion-dollar implications.
"Oh.
This is nice."
It doesn't look like either studio is going
to budge on this decision, unfortunately,
so fans are going to have to get used to a
reality where Peter Parker isn't carrying
on the legacy of Tony Stark after all.
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