The news many had hoped for has finally come true and with the changes going on at Sony as Amy Pascal departs as studio chief and sets up a production deal there, Sony and Marvel are now working together to bring Spider-Man into the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. The deal has it as a strong co-production between the studios with Marvel Studios as an active producer with Kevin Feige taking a guiding hand, and it also appears that things are now open to having other MCU characters appear in Spider-Man movies. The character now will appear an in upcoming film before his own, which is now scheduled for July 28th, 2017, with details for that film to be announced in the future – which looks like it potentially includes a casting change. Spider-Man himself is set to appear in an MCU film prior to his own, and that really makes Captain America: Civil War the obvious choice since it was talked about in the early stages of discussion between the two studios as revealed during email leaks late last year.
With Sony Pictures struggling to make Spider-Man work, this is a win for both sides, though far more for Marvel Studios in getting their hands back involved in the character and firming up his ties with the great cinematic universe. And it’ll allow for the franchise to kickstart forward with his new solo film that will likely allow him to play a role in the Avengers: Infinity War films, which will be instrumental as other big players from the first phase of films will start phasing out a bit.
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.”
With the new film slotted in for 2017, that’s caused the slate of Marvel films to bump forward but an average of about six months each. Here’s how things are broken out now:
Captain America: Civil War – 5/6/16
Doctor Strange – 11/4/16
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 5/5/17
Untitled Spider-Man Film – 7/28/17
Thor: Ragnarok moves to 11/3/17 from 7/28/17
Black Panther moves to 7/6/18 from 11/3/17
Captain Marvel moves to 11/2/18 from 7/6/18
Inhumans moves to 7/12/19 from 11/2/18
Avengers: Infinity War Part I – 5/4/18
Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – 5/3/19
