Spider-Man will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe

It’s finally happened, Marvel fans: Spider-Man will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This comes after an agreement was reached by both Marvel Studios and Sony, the latter who have owned the rights to Spidey for years (and own both the original Spider-Man trilogy and the two newer The Amazing Spider-Man movies); Sony will have final creative control over any new Spider-Man films, while they will be produced by Marvel Studios, under producer Kevin Feige.

This is terribly exciting, as it impacts the rest of the MCU; with the new Spider-Man film taking place of the originally planned Amazing Spider-Man movie on July 28, 2017, this has bumped the other releases in the Phase Three slate around, and both parties are ‘exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.’ So Peter Parker will be a fully integrated member of that world – appearing alongside Steve Rogers, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

But what about Spider-Man himself? This is touted to be a reboot, as no mention of Andrew Garfield – who played the webslinger in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – has been made so far, and according to a tweet from a reporter working for TheWrap, Garfield is definitely out. So Spider-Man needs to be recast – but who will play him? We imagine both Marvel and Sony already have their heads down on getting a new Peter Parker, and with his first touted appearance only a year or so away, we’d expect them to arrive at a decision soon.

Spider-Man will first appear in a movie from the MCU before his feature-length debut, which raises the question of which movie? The most obvious candidate would be 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, which already features a large roster of characters, and which is based on a comic series in which Spider-Man was a key part. And so after both his appearance in one of the other MCU films, and following his own movie in 2017, there’s the question of whether or not he’ll appear in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and / or Part 2; naturally, we’d assume yes. Will he be a fully integrated member of the Avengers by then?

And if you’re interested, here’s the full press release from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures:

SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS MARVEL STUDIOS INTO THE AMAZING WORLD OF SPIDER-MAN

New Spider-Man Will Appear First in an Upcoming Marvel Film Within Marvel’s Cinematic Universe

Marvel’s Kevin Feige to Produce Next Installment of the Spider-Man Franchise with Amy Pascal

(Culver City, California, and Burbank, California February 09, 2015) – Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: “Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”

“We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”

“Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future,” added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.