SALT LAKE CITY — Sony Pictures Entertainment, fans and creators have all weighed in on recent reports that Spider-Man (Tom Holland) will no longer appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In a series of tweets, Sony’s film division noted the breaking news has “mischaracterized” discussions of Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige role in developing “Spider-Man” movies. The studio thanks Feige, and claims the decision was made by Disney due to Feige’s responsibilities working on Marvel-owned properties.
Spider-Man and his supporting cast are all Marvel characters, but the film rights for said characters belong to Sony. A previous deal allowed for the hero to appear in MCU movies, starting with “Captain America: Civil War.”
Unsurprisingly, fan responses to the news have been largely negative, while others seem to be blaming Sony for the development.
IGN also reports Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye in the MCU, called out Sony Pictures on Instagram, asking for the company to give the Spider-Man rights back to Marvel.
The Hollywood Reporter notes a continuation of Sony and Disney’s deal fell apart because studio chiefs Tom Rothman (Sony) and Alan Horn (Disney) couldn’t come to terms on a new financial arrangement.
The original deal, which I reported on yesterday for the Deseret News, saw Disney receive five percent of profits from “Spider-Man” films. Deadline notes Disney’s new, proposed deal would have seen the companies split profits — and production costs — equally. For example, “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which has made over $1 billion, would have made both companies over $500 million in gross.
However, Sony reportedly rejected the new offer in favor of a continuation of the companies’ current agreement.
I’ve also reported for Deseret News that Holland is currently contracted for one more solo “Spider-Man” movie, which means he will not appear in another MCU movie unless a new deal is struck.