Entertainment

Marvel's involvement in 'Spider-Man' movies may be in doubt

Marvel's involvement in 'Spider-Man' movies may be in doubt

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES: With great success comes great re-negotiation. In the wake of the announcement that 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership. The Hollywood trade Deadline reported Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. According to a person close to the deal who was unauthorized to speak publicly, negotiations are not yet final. 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 films quickly turned into a trending topic. 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. And the teenage web-slinger has been made into a central component in the MCU with a close relationship to Tony Stark that drove the storylines 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.' Representatives from the two studios did not respond to requests for comment.