It’s bad news for anyone hoping to see Spider-Man swinging back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe any time soon.
Sony has now spoken out on the future of Spidey, and have said that – for the foreseable future at least – they won’t be taking their collaboration with Disney any further.
Opening up about what for many is still a painfully raw subject, Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra confirmed, ‘For the moment the door is closed.’
As reported by ComicBook, Vinciquerra made these comments at Variety’s Entertainment & Technology summit, and emphasised there was ‘no ill will’ between Disney and Sony following the widely publicised debacle.
According to Comicbook, Vinciquerra said:
We had a great run with [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] on Spider-Man movies.
We tried to see if there’s a way to work it out….the Marvel people are terrific people, we have great respect for them, but on the other hand, we have some pretty terrific people of our own. [Feige] didn’t do all the work.
He added:
Spider-Man was fine before the event movies, did better with the event movies, and now that we have our own universe, he will play off the other characters as well.
I think we’re pretty capable of doing what we have to do here.
Sony released the following statement on the heated matter on Tuesday, August 20:
Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterised recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise.
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.
Tom Holland’s fun, likeable portrayal of Peter Parker has proven to be immensely popular among those who have long loved this most relatable awkwardness of superheroes. This means the fallout between Sony and Disney has left a real sting.
Luckily, it doesn’t appear fans will be starved of Spider-Man adventures any time soon. A Venom sequel is reported to be in the works, as well as ‘five or six’ shows set within the Spider-Man world.
In August of this year, Spider-Man: Far From Home overtook Skyfall to become Sony’s biggest ever movie at the global box office.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.