Spider-Man's place in Marvel universe at risk amid 'Sony-Disney dispute'
A dispute between Walt Disney and Sony Pictures reportedly threatens to end their co-production of “Spider-Man” films, putting the future of one of Marvel’s most beloved characters up in the air.
In the wake of the announcement that "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports have surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership.
The Hollywood trade Deadline reported on Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. Disney has been requesting a 50% share of profits in the films going forward. Sony wanted to keep the current arrangement, in which Disney gets a 5% share of box-office revenue, according to the website.
Negotiations were not yet final, a person close to the deal told AP.
But the suggestion that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may not produce future live-action "Spider-Man" movies and that the character itself might not appear in any more Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films quickly set social media alight, including a plea from Avengers actor Jeremy Renner.
A post shared by Jeremy Renner (@renner4real) on Aug 20, 2019 at 7:16pm PDT
Sony has held the rights to the Marvel character since 1985, but in 2015, announced a partnership with Disney and Marvel that would allow Spider-Man to be used in MCU films like "Avengers: Endgame."
It also allowed for Feige to serve as a producer on stand-alone "Spider-Man" movies like "Far From Home."
The crossovers have been well-received by audiences and critics. The first feature in their collaboration, 2017’s “Homecoming,” captured $880 million in ticket sales worldwide, the best performance of the franchise up until then. The follow-up, this year’s “Far From Home,” grossed $1.1 billion, a record for the series and for Sony.
And the teenage web-slinger has been made into a central component in the MCU - which has generated more than $22.5 billion globally - with a close relationship to Tony Stark that drove the story lines in both "Endgame" and "Far From Home." But as Marvel enters its "Phase 4," Spider-Man also has no official MCU appearances planned.
Two standalone "Spider-Man" movies are, however, reportedly in the works from Sony which would bring back director Jon Watts and star Tom Holland.
Sony has also created its own web of Spider-Man spinoffs, including the Oscar-winning animated feature "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," and "Venom."
