In news that’s sure to delight fans worldwide, Marvel has today confirmed a deal with Sony Pictures that will finally see Spider-Man joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to Marvel the deal, which has long been regarded as overdue by Spider-Man fans, will ensure that Spider-Man appears in an upcoming Marvel’s Cinematic Universe film. It also means that Sony Pictures will release the next instalment of the Spider-Man franchise in 2017, with a film that will be co-produced by Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal.
While Marvel did not reveal which Marvel film Spider-Man will appear in, it is believed the most likely film will be Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War which is due out in 2016. Marvel also revealed that they and Sony Pictures are “exploring opportunities” to include characters from the MCU in Spider-Man films.
Sony will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films. A deal of this kind was first discussed in the midst of the Sony hacking scandal when it was revealed that Marvel Studios had expressed an interest in putting Spider-Man in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, and producing a new trilogy of Spider-Man films with Sony tackling “creative control, marketing and distribution.” It was reported at the time that talks about this had broken down.
“Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world,” said Bob Igor, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company in a statement. “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.”
“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, added Doug Belgrad, President of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group. “This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future.”
