By Kevin Feige is having a week. Not long after being confirmed to be developing a Star Wars movie, Feige is reported to be back on the Spider-Man franchise with Sony and EDM hater Amy Pascal. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will once again appear in “a future Marvel Studios film,” with a third film in the series that started with Spider-Man: Homecoming coming in 2021.
The initial fallout between Sony and Disney/Marvel Studios was quite dramatic, with the news that Spider-Man was out of the MCU making waves throughout the Marvel and Spidey fanbase. Sony appeared gung-ho about moving forward without Feige and Marvel Studios, confirming a few more spin-off films and putting up a Daily Bugle website up just yesterday.
Perhaps the new website was a sign of things to come, and maybe a sign that J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson will be screaming about the MCU as a whole on that new viral site. Still, details are sparse on how Sony and Disney made up. Revenue split was cited as the breaking point by a number of trades, but what exactly those figures are were disputed amongst conflicting reports and speculation.
Whatever the case may be, at least poor, young Tom Holland won’t be a confused boy anymore. It must have been strange to have your dream job as a pop culture icon in jeopardy because of big-wig studio executives yelling at each other over cash. And without looking at my Twitter feed, I can assume that the Spider-Man and MCU fanbase is ecstatic over the news that things are back to the way they were just a few months ago.
Said Feige in a statement:
I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it. Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.
The last sentence there where Feige acknowledges Sony’s standalone work is curious, and makes me wonder if crossovers with the likes of Venom will be possible and were a part of the new, unspecified deal.
Added producer and sandwich thrower Amy Pascal:
This is terrific. Peter Parker’s story took a dramatic turn in [Spider-Man:] Far From Home and I could not be happier we will all be working together as we see where his journey goes. This has been a winning partnership for the studios, the franchise and the fans and I’m overjoyed it will continue.
Added Robert Lawson, chief communications officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment: “We have had a great collaboration over the last four years, and our mutual desire to continue was equal to that of the many fans. We are delighted to be moving forward together.”
The untitled sequel to Sony’s top-grossing Spider-Man: Far From Home will release on July 16, 2021. Time to come up with new titled that say “home” in it, I suppose.
Kevin Feige Back In ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’ For One More Film [Deadline]
Sony, Marvel Make Up: Companies Will Produce Third ‘Spider-Man’ Film [Variety]