Praise our Disney overlords! Marvel and Sony announced that after negotiations fell through concerning the continued shared custody, so to speak, of Spider-Man. Additionally, our favorite web-slinger is returning for a third film in the MCU sometime in July 2021.
The deal was signed late September 26, with Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman, Marvel President Kevin Feige, and Walt Disney Studios head Alan Horn all present at the meeting. According to Variety, Marvel and Disney will receive roughly 25% of the profits of the film, will retain merchandising rights, and Spider-Man will appear in one more film.
“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,” said Feige in a statement. “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.”
“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,” said Robert Lawson, chief communications officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We are delighted to be moving forward together.”
Now, if you read the above carefully, you’ll see that Spider-Man is only slotted for one more film. Now, that could mean that he will not appear in any more team-ups or Avengers movies for the time being. It could be a way to buy more time for Marvel and Sony to come up with better terms, or just to re-negotiate when the box office numbers come back. Still, we might not be fully out of the woods yet.
The currently untitled Spider-Man 3 is set to premiere in theaters on July 16, 2021.
