Several big stories broke during December’s “Sony Hack” scandal, but the biggest of which was the negotiations between Sony and Marvel over using Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically Captain America: Civil War. The plan from there would be to use this as a platform to reboot the Spidey franchise after the disappointment of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Well now it looks like those negotiations are set to open up again.
Amy Pascal has been ousted as a studio boss over at Sony, but will remain as a producer on future Spider-Man movies. However, this means she no longer has any creative control over the direction to take the series. According to Variety, this could have huge implications on the future of the friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler.
“The biggest decision for Lynton and Pascal’s successor will be how to handle the Spider-Man franchise,” Variety writes. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did respectable business last summer but was hardly the $1 billion blockbuster that Pascal had told folks that she needed it to be.”
“Spider-Man remains a cash cow but the plans for expanding the Spidey universe through villain spin-offs and the next installment may be re-examined — since Pascal played the leading role pursuing that path,” they continue. “A new regime may take a stronger look at returning to the negotiation table with Marvel Studios over Spidey’s rights.”
So, this is far from a confirmation, but the smart money would be put on re-negotiations between the two parties. Particularly after the backlash the news received late last year as well as the disappointing return on The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Originally published February 6, 2015. Updated October 29, 2022.
