The comic book movie fandom isn’t even close to recovering from news of the Disney-Marvel Studios/Sony Spider-Man divorce of sorts. Everything’s still slightly up in the air, although the two factions have parted ways for the indefinite future. Kevin Feige will no longer produce the upcoming Tom Holland-starring film(s), and there’s every possibility that we’ll never see Spidey surface in the MCU again. Publicly, Sony issued a statement that clarifies their disappointment and leaves the door slightly ajar, and while Stan Lee’s daughter, Joan Celia Lee, co-signs Sony’s decision to proceed without Feige and Disney, speculation continues to swirl on the exact nature of the dispute.
The Hollywood Reporter has published their own report, in which they do some digging on previously circulated details. While no one seems to be contending that money was a central issue in the dispute (Spider-Man: Far From Home recently crossed the billion-dollar mark, becoming Sony’s highest-grossing film ever), the specifics are muddy. For one thing, it was widely believed that Tom Holland had two films left on his contract to play Peter Parker. Hollywood Reporter reveals that might not be the case, but he’s contracted for at least one more solo movie. Also important? Deadline previously reported that Disney wanted to change the existing 5% of top gross to a 50/50 split, but Hollywood Reporter‘s sources say that the desired stake was substantially less:
Disney had been seeking a co-financing arrangement on upcoming movies, looking for at least a 30 percent stake. Sony, which counts Spider-Man as one of its only reliable moneymaking franchises, said no. Before both sides walked away, talks had gone to the top level, with Rothman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra on Sony’s side and Disney Studios’ co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman involved. In the next month and a half, Far From Home would go on to catch $1.109 billion in the box office web, becoming Sony’s biggest movie of all time. The figure reinforced both sides’ thinking. Sony executives believed they didn’t need Disney anymore, and Disney was in no way leaving money, and Peter Parker, behind, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
30% was still a hefty jump from the previous agreement, yes, but 50% was even more enormous. Surely, this isn’t even the last competing report that we’ll see on the subject, all while fans (including Avenger Jeremy Renner and Ryan Reynolds, whose Deadpool could soon enter the MCU) hope for the two sides to come together and hash out a reunion. The timing of the dustup is also particularly awkward with Disney’s D23 Expo arriving this weekend, and perhaps some Marvel Studios executives will have more to say during the weekend’s festivities.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)