Sony Kills Rumors of Spider-Man Going to Marvel

Well, that didn't take long. Yesterday the comic book movie community exploded when yet another rumor surfaced that Marvel had struck a deal with Sony to bring in Spider-Man in time for 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.. It's a story that many have been following closely for months, especially when reports of the negotiations surfaced during the Sony leak scandal, but it all appears to have been for naught.

According to Comic Book Resources, who reached out to a source within Sony, there is "no validity whatsoever" to the rumors. They went on to call it an "old rumor" and basically put to bed any hope that this deal was even close to happening. Of course, it could all be smoke and mirrors as a deal like this would have to be extremely sensitive for both parties, but this kind of denial is about as clear as it gets.

As has been discussed numerous times on this site, the desires of the Internet community don't always make great business sense. Sony would have been giving up a lot in future profits, not to mention creative control, while Marvel would have been made to look like an even bigger powerhouse than they already are. The logistics of it simply don't work, and while many of us will continue to hope and pray that something gets done to bring all of Marvel's superheroes into the same universe, now does not appear to be the time for it to happen.

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Spider-Man Rumored to Join Marvel with 2018's 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Want to know how to get a comics fanboy REALLY excited, short of showing them photos of Wonder Woman and Supergirl mudwrestling? Get them talking about the prospect of Spider-Man leaving Sony and heading back to Marvel. Rumors that the two sides were trying to come to some sort of deal have been circulating for months, and recently during the Sony leak we learned those talks had fallen through. But now a new rumor has surfaced at Latino Review which claims the webslinger will be hanging out with the Avengers very soon.

Their story says Marvel and Sony have come to a deal that would bring Spider-Man into the Marvel fold in time for Avengers: Infinity War part 1 in 2018. Earlier the report had been that Marvel really wanted him for Captain America: Civil War, which would make sense given the character's central role in the comics storyline, but that doesn't appear to be happening. The site goes pretty in-depth on what will be happening and it involves a major shift in the Avengers roster, clearing room for Spidey to join up. Here's what the say...

"Avengers: Age of Ultron introduces a new group of Avengers lead by Captain America. Still think Hulk’s gonna be in space.

Captain America: Civil War exposes that Bucky killed Howard Stark, Iron Man and Captain America fight, Tony Stark is discouraged (I’m vague on how he ends up at the moment), Black Panther is introduced, Crossbones kills Steve Rogers at the end of the film, giving us a nice big cliffhanger from Marvel Studios’ two most profitable characters (Iron Man and Captain America). Since I’m so vague on what happens to Iron Man, but I’m pretty sure he can’t be flitting in and out of other Phase 3 movies without reducing the impact of his future return, let’s just say he’ll also be in space."

So no Captain America, no Thor, but apparently Spider-Man will be part of the Avengers roster come Infinity War, along with many of the other new heroes like Doctor Strange, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch.

Pretty crazy, right? But let's keep in mind this is all a rumor for now. Chances are if this happens it spells the end of Andrew Garfield as Spidey and a new actor would be found to replace him. Garfield did a good job in the role but was let down by Sony's sloppy handily of the franchise. It also wastes a pair of great performances by Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.

So we'll see if this comes to pass, but it would be a big step in giving Marvel fans everything they've always wanted.

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Sony/Marvel Spider-Man Deal would be a Reboot; Russo Bros. Directing 'Avengers: Infinity War'

After getting off to a roaring start Sony has royally botched The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, that much is no longer in dispute. And as we've seen them scramble to formulate some kind of plan, rumors have been growing they may be willing to share the character's rights with Marvel, thus allowing him into the same universe as the Avengers. A leaked email revealed just days ago confirmed those talks had taken place, and while it seemed like a dead idea a new story suggests it could still happen.

According to Latino Review, Sony's parent company has noticed just how badly the Spider-Man movies have done in relation to other comic book franchises and are open to the deal with Marvel. Their hope is to negotiate some kind of 60/40 split that would see Sony retaining creative control, but what are the chances Marvel would run with something like that? Probably slim. If it did happen, though, it would be without Andrew Garfield, or anything relating to Marc Webb or Sam Raimi's films. It would be a completely new franchise, one that would skip out on the origin story we've seen depicted twice in only a few years. Smart move, there.

Of course, none of this may happen. For now Sony is pushing ahead with their Spider-Man plans, such as they are. That includes a Venom movie, a Sinister Six film, a female-led Spidey film, and an animated comedy series with Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Meanwhile, the Sony hack continues to be an information goldmine. A Brazilian website dug through the leaked emails and discovered that Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors the Russo Brothers were approached to be Spider-Man producers. That offer may still stand, but the duo revealed to Sony chief Amy Pascal they would be directing Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War, which would confirm a rumor that's been making the rounds.  Keep in mind that due to all of this hacking stuff there are likely to be some big changes at Sony, so who knows how much any of this stuff holds up in the long run.

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Josh Brolin Talks Thanos' Battle in 'Avengers: Infinity War'

He's been teased since The Avengers and seen putting his plan into effect in Guardians of the Galaxy, but Thanos won't become a palpable threat until the two-part Avengers: Infinity War. Before those films arrive in 2018 and 2019 we'll have plenty of chance to see the guy who plays Thanos, Josh Brolin, in other projects. He's currently making the press rounds talking about his role as "Bigfoot" Bjornsen in Inherent Vice, and of course Brolin was asked about playing Thanos, too...

Brolin: “It’s different man, it’s just different.  I don’t have a thing like, “I only do small art films” or “I only do this.”  I just read a story and go, “wow.  That’s cool.”  It’s not, “I want to get into this genre or that genre.”  So Thanos came along.. and I had a good friend Louis D’Esposito who used to be a first AD and is now the co-president of Marvel, and he and I used to train together.  We did Hollow Man together.  He called me up and started talking about this thing.  It was nice because I could intimately talk to him about it.  What I liked. What I didn’t like about the whole idea of it.  But I love the idea of Thanos.”

And who will Thanos be facing? Well, when the film is being split into two parts, plus a whole new crop of Avengers is emerging, it's safe to say Thanos will be very busy...

Brolin: “Ultimately it’s Thanos against everyone.  So why wouldn’t you do that?  I was more nervous doing that than I think I’ve been in long time. I was in front of thirty-two little cameras and I had a face sprayed with iridescent paint.  It’s really exciting, the possibilities of what it could become.”

Brolin will be seen next in Inherent Vice, which opens in select cities on December 12th. [Collider]

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Cinema Royale Marvel Movies Special!

Gah! Did you see what Marvel did yesterday!?!? Black Panther! Captain Marvel! Captain America: Civil War! Avengers: Infinity War! Inhumans! And that's not even the half of what they revealed, and we're going to talk about all of it! What does all of this mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? We'll be joined by Jeff Lyles of Lyles' Movie Files to try and wrap our brains around all of it, and you're encouraged to call-in and join us! How are we going to fit all of this into an hour??

Listen to the show below, and "Like" Cinema Royale here!!

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'Avengers: Infinity War' Teaser Reveals Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet

So you know how it seems like every one of Marvel's films centers on some mystical object of limitless power? A Macguffin, basically? Well, eagle-eyed fanboys know those items are actually the components of the all-powerful Infinity Gauntlet, which the villain Thanos is trying to put together. Let's just say, you don't want a death-obsessed god getting his hands on a weapon that can literally reshape reality.

The two-part Avengers: Infinity War will be the culmination of everything Marvel has been building since Iron Man in 2008. As part of the jaw-dropping press event yesterday they revealed this teaser for the film, confirming all of the powerful artifacts that will comprise the Gauntlet, ending with an ominous look at Thanos wielding it. Guh. This is too much! Can I just reiterate that I'm a little salty that Marvel didn't give us this presentation at Comic-Con? F'real. Noooooo, it has to be just some random Tuesday. Urgh!

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 arrives on May 4th 2018, followed by Part 2 on May 3rd 2019.


Avengers: Infinity War - Teaser Trailer (HD) by Trailersstv

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Marvel Announces 'Black Panther'; Two-Part 'Avengers: Infinity War'; 'Captain Marvel'; 'Inhumans' and More

This is how you fire back in a big way. After Warner Bros. floored everybody last week by announcing an impressive run of films featuring their stable of DC Comics superheroes, it was up to Marvel to retaliate in kind. And boy, did they ever. Today they held a special press event that was expected to have at least one major announcement, and instead it had about a dozen. Let's just jump right in because this is going to take awhile.

One major complaint has been that Warner Bros. beat Marvel to the punch on female and minority-led solo projects, but that's no longer an issue as they've announced both a Captain Marvel film and one for Black Panther. Captain Marvel, which will indeed be the Carol Danvers version as previously rumored, will open July 6th 2018. Black Panther, who apparently will play a major role in the future, will be played by 42 and Get On Up star, Chadwick Boseman, as many had speculated months back. It's a great pick as Boseman is young, a rising star, athletic, and has the charisma to play the King of Wakanda. That film arrives on November 3rd 2017. Marvel also confirmed Inhumans, which centers on the Royal Family of moon-dwelling aliens led by Black Bolt, for November 2nd 2017. Doctor Strange, which many had thought would arrive in July 2016, will instead appear in theaters on November 4th 2016, with Scott Derrickson directing and presumably Benedict Cumberbatch, although Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige neglected to confirm that yet.

So let's talk about sequels because there are plenty. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has been shuffled to May 5th 2017, with James Gunn and the original cast all to return. The third Thor film is titled Thor: Ragnarok, hitting theaters on July 28th 2017. So what's a Ragnarok? Well, two different versions of Ragnarok exist. One version is a clone of Thor, designed by Tony Stark, that goes crazy during the Civil War event. The other is the apocalyptic "end of days" for the entire Norse line of heroes, and with Chris Hemsworth's contract expiring soon this could mean Thor's end is approaching. The same goes for Captain America 3, which is now titled Captain America: Civil War, and maintains its May 6th 2016 date. The Civil War storyline, which pits heroes vs. heroes, begins the path to Cap's eventual death. Does that mean it will happen on screen? Is the torch about to be passed to the Winter Soldier or possible Falcon? Only time will tell.

And the big one that confirms previous reports of the third Avengers film being split into two, Marvel announced the two part Avengers: Infinity War, with the first chapter on May 4th 2018 and the next May 3rd 2019. Without going too deep into specifics, it's basically a gigantic war that involves basically the entire Marvel Universe, the villain Thanos, and the all-powerful Infinity Gauntlet. The pieces of the Gauntlet have played a key role in nearly every Marvel film, and this would be the culmination of all of those storylines. It would also be an easy way to incorporate the Guardians of the Galaxy, and possibly bring in other spacebound heroes like Adam Warlock and Nova.

Phew! That's a lot to take in. Best to just sit back and mull all of this over for now, because I suspect Marvel is done with any major news for a very long time. Check out promo art and logos below!

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