Spider-Man Update: Sony On “Mischaracterization”, Jon Watts Not Set To Return
by Erik Amaya
The story of making Spider-Man movies may always be a little more thrilling than the movies themselves.
In the last 24 hours, the seemingly cozy relationship between Sony and Disney came to an end when Deadline reported Sony walked away from Disney’s attempt to get a 50/50 split on the next two Spider-Man films. At that moment, it was definitely painted as Sony being stubborn, but Sony soon suggested negotiations were still ongoing and not about the money, but an issue of crediting an unnamed creative participant.
Sony went on to release a series of tweets late last night claiming the reports also “mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise.” A subsequent tweet added, “We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own.”
Yikes. The studio claimed it will continue on the path set by Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, but we do not see how that is possible without Disney and Sony coming to some sort of agreement.
Meanwhile, the original Deadline story claimed director Jon Watts was signed on to helm two additional Spider-Man features for Sony. This is not the case, with the site adding in an update that “Watts isn’t signed on for the next film and isn’t a certainty to be back as he is being heavily courted for other jobs.”
At this point, the media and Marvel fans are part of a protracted and ugly contract dispute. Both companies are trying to protect their bottom lines, but it is possible to view Disney’s grab for the even split an overreach. At the same time, it is clear few Spider-Man fans trust Sony with the character — even if Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the most creatively successful Spider-Man film ever made. Also, it is hard to shark off the feeling that Peter Parker belongs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One thing is clear: Marvel and Spider-Man movies will continue to get made. It just remains to be seen if they will swing on a web together.