Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Sony Pictures/Marvel: The "Spider-Man" Deal

The proposed deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel to have "Spider-Man" start appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been officially announced.


Under the deal, a new Spider-Man will first appear in a currently unspecified Marvel Studios film (most likely "Captain America: Civil War"). Sony will then release the next chapter of the stand alone film series on July 28th 2017

Marvel's Kevin Feige and exiting Sony chief Amy Pascal set as producers. Current Spidey actor Andrew Garfield is out and the role will be recast. The Wrap reporter Linda Ge sent out a tweet saying "CONFIRMED: Andrew Garfield is NO LONGER Spider-Man. Someone new will be cast. First appearance in MCU, then solo film."

Sony will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the films. Marvel and Sony will also explore opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

Disney CEO Robert A. Iger says: "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."

Sony CEO Michael Lynton says: "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. This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans."

Marvel suit Feige adds: "I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie. 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."

As Spider-Man officially joins the MCU and gets his own new solo film on July 28th 2017, the move has had a ripple effect on Marvel Studios' slate with many of its projects getting half-year (or longer) delay.

"Thor: Ragnarok" will now arrive nearly four months later on November 3rd 2017. "Black Panther" has been delayed eight months and will now open July 6th 2018. "Captain Marvel" now opens November 2nd 2018 and the "Inhumans" movie has now been pushed to July 12th 2019.

The Avengers: Infinity War - Part I /Avengers: Infinity War - Part II remains set with its original release dates of May 4th 2018 and May 3rd 2019.

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