Looks like not everything Spider-man is going to Marvel! At this year’s CinemaCon, Chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Tom Rothman announced that Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who made everything awesome in the ‘Lego’ movie, will be taking Spider-Man to the big screen in the most animated way!

According to the press release from Sony, Lord and Miller will be masterminding an animated Spider-Man film and will be writing and producing the film. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal will also be serving as producers. There was no word about who will be directing, but if not Lord and Miller, then whoever is chosen has some pretty big shoes to fill.

The animated film is said to exist independently of the live action Spider-Man projects, but on stage Rothman stated it would co-exist with them so we’ll have to see what happens. What is known is that Rothman declared the project to be “f**king awesome” and that alone has us curious and excited at the same time. Spider-Man has always done well in the animated format and it will be fascinating to see Lord and Miller’s take on the character.

Back in December, it was reported that Lord and Miller were in talks with Sony to develop an animated Spider-Man feature (thanks to the Sony hacks!) so this news may not have been surprising to many. However, with Spidey also appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you have to wonder if there will be some confusion as there will be two different Spider-Men on the big screen.

Regardless, movie audiences will be getting their fill of the friendly neighborhood web slinger. The first appearance of Spider-Man in the Marvel universe is set for 2016 in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ then again with his own live-action film co-produced by both Sony and Marvel on July 28, 2017. The Sony animated feature is slated to be released on July 20, 2018.

Here’s the full press release from Sony Pictures:

SPIDER-MAN GETS ANIMATED AND DATED
WITH PHIL LORD & CHRISTOPHER MILLER AND SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 22, 2015 – On July 20, 2018, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the directors of The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and 21 and 22 Jump Street, are taking Spider-Man back to his graphic roots with the first-of-its-kind animated Spider-Man feature, it was announced today at CinemaCon by Tom Rothman, chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group. The film will exist independently of the projects in the live-action Spider-Man universe, all of which are continuing.

Lord & Miller are masterminding the project, writing the treatment and producing the film.

As previously announced, Spider-Man will next appear in a live-action Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, a live-action film being produced by Kevin Feige at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago.  The animated film from Lord & Miller, dated July 20, 2018, has Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Pascal also serving as producers.

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.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.