All good things must come to an end, it seems. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will likely not be producing any more Spider-Man films as Disney and Sony Pictures have failed to reach an agreement for the friendly neighbourhood webhead moving forward.
The ongoing dispute has gone on for the past few months, and could ultimately result in a result no fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would want.
This is despite the great success of Feige-produced flicks, which have broken all-time records – Avengers: Endgame is now the highest-grossing film of all time, and Spider-Man: Far From Home surpassed the James Bond film Skyfall this week to become the all-time, highest-grossing film for Sony Pictures.
Two more films are in the pipeline for Peter Parker, with Tom Holland still locked for the role, although director Jon Watts is not a certainty to return for the next film. Whatever the case is, this breakdown in talks means Feige will not be the lead creative producer on them unless things turn around drastically.
The breaking down of the agreement all points to the issue of money. Disney requested that future Spider-Man films be a 50/50 co-financing arrangement between the two studios, and even potentially extend to other films in the Spider-Man universe. Sony refused that offer without consideration, as it would mean splitting the profits in half as well.
Further amendments to the deal made by Sony were rejected by Disney as well. It is clear that Sony does not want to share the biggest franchise they have in their stable, and Disney was no longer interested in continuing the current terms where Marvel receives in the range of 5% of first-dollar gross, according to sources.
The collaboration of the two studios has no doubt been a great success to both parties. Tom Holland’s character was introduced in 2016 blockbuster Captain America: Civil War, which prepped the stage for the arrival of Infinity War and Endgame. 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, built on that success and grossed $880 million worldwide.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man played vital roles in the Avengers films, and it all led to the record-breaking Far From Home.
Sources said that Sony thinks that they will do just fine without the input of Feige. The Spider-Man follow a set creative template, and Watt and Holland, along with Amy Pascal, who became a producer with Feige, are all steadily in place.
Venom was also supposedly a problematic production and a far cry from the eventual product that grossed $856 million worldwide, until Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman himself stepped in and helped in the editing.
Whatever the eventual result is, this is worrying times for fans of Spider-Man, especially when it concerns the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. All fans can do now is wait and see.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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