Marvel Deal Update: Marvel Looking To Reacquire Full Rights To Spider-Man In Near Future?
The past few days have been a whirlwind for Marvel and Spider-Man fans. Between the scrapping of The Amazing Spider-Man universe, the nixing of Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, and the promise of the character’s involvement in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, there was a whole lot to digest. The deal was indeed groundbreaking, and in the end, it seems to have been a win-win situation for both Sony and Marvel (and an even bigger win for fans). It is important, however, to specify what the deal entails, as there does seem to be some minor confusion regarding the details.
Marvel does not have film rights to Spider-Man. Those rights still belong to Sony. In this deal, however, Sony is agreeing to let Spider-Man into an upcoming Marvel flick (which will likely be Captain America: Civil War). They also agree to co-produce a new Spidey film in 2017 that will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Full creative control still belongs to Sony per the new deal. The franchise is such a cash cow for the struggling company, that despite the lackluster performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, they opted to loan the character rather than sell it. And according to Variety, the deal spells out that Marvel will make no money on Sony-produced Spider-Man films, and Sony will make no money off of Marvel films that feature Spider-Man. Exposure seems to be the key factor here.
But is that as far as Sony is willing to budge on the Spider-Man rights?
That certainly seems to be the case as of right now, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Spider-Man has the potential to make the full transition over to Marvel Studios.
“One knowledgeable source sees the move as a first step to Marvel reacquiring the rights to Spider-Man down the road, while another believes Disney is positioning itself to acquire Sony should it ever become available.”
Either proposition would be great for fans, but which, if any, is likely to occur down the line? With the way things have been going for Sony, it would make sense if it put itself up for sale at that point, but if the company was in such dire straits, would it make more sense to simply sell off Spider-Man and survive? Not likely in the long term, and with that in mind, selling the entire company may be in their best interest.
What are your thoughts? Do you see Sony selling Spider-Man–or even selling themselves–in the near future? Let us know in the comments below!
