The story of Peter Parker is one that resonates with and has been adored by thousands of fans across the globe. Although the history ofSpider-Manis a long one (with eight films under its belt), that doesn’t mean that there weren’t bumps in the road when it came to where exactly Spider-Man would be heading next. Between Sony Productions and Marvel, Spider-Man is essentially their love child. While the rights to the character of Peter Parker and his overall story belong to Marvel and Disney, Sony is the one who actually holds the keys to the film’s rights. Sony was very pleased with the original first twoSpider-Manfilms with actor Tobey Maguire as the lead.
The question ofSpider-Man’s future and the trajectory of his character’s growth came into focus whenSpider-Man 3sank at the box office. Sony went back tothe drawing board forThe Amazing Spider-Man, hoping that bringing in some fresh energy with actor Andrew Garfield cast as the lead would be just the trick. Unfortunately, Sony was still unsatisfied and disappointed with the film still not meeting their expectations. At this point, while Sony was tanking and frustrated with Spider-Man, Marvel was at the top of its game.
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The MCU’s success can be attributed to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. A little game of tug-a-war between Sony’s motion picture group chairperson, Amy Pascal, and Feige started to unfold. Sony wanted a taste of the MCU’s abundance, so the two met to discuss what wasto become of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Pascal came into the meeting with the intention to create a Sony/Marvel sandwich out of Spider-Man, where both she and Feige would have a say in the character’s destiny. The details of said conversations were recently revealed in the new bookThe Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Feige quickly denounced shared custody, exasperating to her, “why don’t you just let us do it?” Feige continued to challenge Pascal by stating, “The only way I know how to do something is to just do it entirely. So why don’t you just let us do it? Don’t think of it as two studios. And don’t think of it as giving another studio back the rights. No change of rights. No change of hands of money. Just engage us to produce it.” Pascal at first was not only a bit stunned by Feige’s proposal but admitted, “At first, I was super resentful. I think I started crying and threw him out of my office.”
Ultimately, with Pascal’s hands still tied as to where to take the beloved hero for future films, she came to the realization that Sony wasn’t able to bring anything new or different to the table. Marvel and Sony’s love for the character of Peter Parker himself allowed for them to build a stable, unified partnership. Spider-Man from there was launched into the MCU withactor Tom Holland as Peter Parker.
Spider-Man: No Way Homewill be released in theaters on December 17th, 2021.
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Source:The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe(viaThe Direct)
