There are a few things in life that you never think you’ll see. As a wrestling fan, I never thought that I’d see the Ultimate Warrior reconcile with Vince McMahon and enter the WWE Hall of Fame. ‘Star Wars’ fans probably didn’t think they’d see another movie after the prequels, let alone a whole other trilogy and some spinoffs. And most True Believers probably weren’t expecting to see Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since the web-slinger is such a draw for Sony Pictures. However, as of late last night, all three of these things are actually a reality.
After a decade of speculation whether we’d see Spider-Man in a Marvel film alongside the Avengers, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced in a press release on Marvel.com that the two companies would combine forces to produce the next Spider-Man movie and participate in the further development of the franchise as part of the MCU. This deal states that “the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film.” Following that movie (which is presumed to be either ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ or ‘Captain America: Civil War’), Sony will release the next solo Spidey film that will be released on July 28, 2017 and co-produced by Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios and Amy Pascal from Sony. While Sony “will continue to finance, distribute, own, and have final creative control over the Spider-Man films,” both parties will contribute to the new creative direction for the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, one that will see characters from the MCU integrate into future Spider-Man films.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group president Doug Belgrad expressed his company’s excitement for this exciting new chapter in Marvel cinematic history to begin:
“Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future.”
On the other side of the coin, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared his thoughts on this new endeavor that will finally bring Spider-Man’s 50-year history with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from the comics to the big screen:
“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie. 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.”
Obviously, this is fantastic news. Now that Marvel Studios has some say in Spider-Man’s future, maybe we won’t get another ‘Spider-Man 3’ or ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2.’ Or more importantly, maybe the chances of seeing Miles Morales on the big screen have increased exponentially. There are just so many great things that could come from this deal and I’m excited to see what blossoms from it.
What do you think of this new partnership between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios? Which Marvel Cinematic Universe film do you think Spider-Man will first appear in? And since his name isn’t found anywhere in the press release, do you think that Andrew Garfield’s days as Peter Parker are numbered? Share your thoughts and theories below.
