It’s official: Spider-Man is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a press release issued moments ago, Marvel Studios has confirmed that Spider-Man will appear in an upcoming Marvel film, and that the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise will be co-produced by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and former Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal.
No word yet on which Marvel film the webslinger will be showing up in, but the smart money is on Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man was a huge part of the comic book series on which the film is based, so having him pop up there would make the most sense. Then again, there’s always the possibility that we’ll see him in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a surprise cameo.
The press release makes no mention of Andrew Garfield or the creative team behind the two Amazing Spider-Man films. Does this mean that the role will be recast? It seems likely, as the official word also refers to the character as “the new Spider-Man.”
It’s also worth pointing out that this is a true partnership – Sony is retaining control of the Spider-Man franchise, and will continue to finance and distribute the films, as well as having final creative control over the direction of the series. But that last part just sounds like the studio is trying to save face – if they were truly confident in their creative direction, then they wouldn’t have needed to partner up with Feige and Marvel.
The next installment of the Spider-Man franchise is scheduled to hit theaters on July 28, 2017. Marvel had previously planted their flag in the sand on that same date for the release of Thor: Ragnarok, but it has now been pushed back to November 3, 2017. That’s not the only change for the Marvel lineup, though. Plenty of shuffling has been done to accomodate this bold new partnership.
Black Panther will now open on July 6, 2018, moving out of the space that Thor is now occupying. That also pushes Captain Marvel back from July 6, 2018 to Nov. 2, 2018, while Inhumans now finds itself bumped to July 12, 2019. No word yet on whether Avengers: Infinity War will be moving, but as of right now it appears those dates are still locked in.
There’s a lot to digest with this news, and plenty to speculate about. For now, here’s the official scoop, straight from Marvel:
Marvel’s Kevin Feige to Produce Next Installment of the Spider-Man Franchise with Amy Pascal
(Culver City, California, and Burbank, California February 09, 2015) – Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.
Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a 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, 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.
Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.
The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.
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.”
“We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”
“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,” added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
“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.
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