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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Sony now says 'The Interview' will be Distributed in some Way

Sony has been engaging in some serious revisionist history over the weekend while everybody has been distracted with Christmas shopping. Perhaps it's due to the backlash by vocal critics like George Clooney and President Barack Obama, who weren't pleased at their decision to cancel The Interview in the wake of terrorist threats posed (presumably, I'm not so certain) by North Korea. While the exhibitors certainly forced Sony's hand, their blanket statement that "Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film" was pretty clear. And yet they are trying to backtrack on that now. Can someone cue the music from Fame because there's some serious tap dancing going on here.

Sony's lawyer David Boies told Meet the Press "Sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed. It will be distributed. How it's going to be distributed, I don't think anybody knows quite yet. But it's going to be distributed." Boies said Sony merely "delayed" release of the film, which is contradicted by their previous statements.

Despite a story in the New York Post claiming The Interview would be streamed on Sony's Crackle service, that won't be happening. Statements had been made earlier in the week that Sony was having trouble finding a digital partner to put the movie online, but perhaps they have now  found a distributor. Game of Thrones' George RR Martin is one who has been pushing aggressively for Sony to release the film to smaller distributors, just to get the movie out there...

Martin: “I have been in communication with the owners and operators of other independent cinemas and arthouses, and representatives of some of the smaller chains, and I know that hundreds of these venues would gladly screen this film, if only Sony will make it available. Regal and AMC and the megaplexes may have caved, but the independents have not. Sony could have the film on five hundred screens by Christmas, if it wants to.”

With all of the controversy surrounding this ridiculous little film, could you imagine the kind of business The Interview could pull for art house theater chains, and for Sony, if it gets released as Martin hopes? No matter what happens I just want this whole thing to be over with. It's been an embarrassment on multiple levels.

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'The Interview' Release Officially Cancelled by Sony

The cyber attack that has so thoroughly embarrassed Sony Pictures over the last couple of weeks took a dangerous turn when the culprits began issuing threats of 9/11-style violence against theaters showing James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy, The Interview. Two major theater chains pulled the film from their Christmas Day release schedule in response, while press screenings and premieres were cancelled all across the country. And then today Regal Cinemas, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark,  and all major US theater chains decided against showing the film, ultimately forcing Sony's hand to cancel the release completely.

The decision isn't surprising, but it's expected to cost the studio millions in lost marketing and box office receipts. Here is the studio's official statement:

"In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.

Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."

The situation began when the plot of the R-rated comedy became widely known. Rogen and Franco play entertainers hired by the U.S. government to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and of course it goes comedically haywire. The decision to drop the film sets an ugly precedent for a number of reasons. First of all, there is no credible evidence the hacker group has the capability to pull off such an attack, or so says the Department of Homeland Security. So giving in to them only opens the doors to other such situations to arise on any number of controversial subjects. But it also shows the ultimate power of the distributors to control what gets seen and what doesn't. There are only a few major film distributors and if one or two decide a plot is too risque what's to stop them from wielding their strength?

The DHS is still investigating the threats and there is a chance Sony releases the film in a few weeks. Or, perhaps they cut their losses, save a few bucks on distribution fees, and release the film on digital platforms where it's sure to be a hit. 

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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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Sony Hack Reveals Talks with Marvel Over Spider-Man; Animated Spidey Comedy in the Works

The hack currently exposing all of Sony's deepest, darkest secrets hasn't abated in the least, and some important stuff is getting put out there for everyone to see. No, not crap like the employees thinking Adam Sandler movies are terrible (they are), but deals that very nearly happened. The latest leak is one that's bound to drive Marvel and Spider-Man fans up a wall.

A few weeks ago a rumor surfaced that Sony and Marvel were having talks to possibly share the Spider-Man rights, so the character could appear alongside The Avengers during the Civil War storyline. Turns out those rumors were true. The WSJ dug into the most recent leaked emails and made the discovery, revealing execs were discussing a scenario in which Marvel would produce a trilogy of Spider-Man movies that Sony would retain creative control and distribution over. Marvel was into the idea, too, but the discussions eventually broke down. What it doesn't tell us if Marvel would have recast Spider-Man, but I'm guessing they would have.

That means Sony is going to push full steam ahead on their upcoming Spidery slate, which includes Venom, Sinister Six, a female-led spinoff, and apparently an animated Spider-Man comedy from 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. That information was also part of the leak but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of details. Either way, the combination of Lord, Miller, and Spider-Man sounds pretty awesome.

So shed a tear, True Believers, at what might have been. We were so close to having Spider-Man and The Avengers playing for the same team.

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Adam Sandler Movies Suck, Just Ask Sony

By now you've probably heard about the cyberattack that struck Sony Pictures, which saw a handful of movies leaked online and has kicked off a massive investigation. Some of the speculation has turned to North Korea as the culprits because of their anger over Seth Rogen and James Franco's comedy, The Interview, which is about an attempt to assassinate Kim Jong-un. Probably not a coincidence that Rogen and Franco's salaries were revealed as part of the hack, along with thousands of celebrity social security numbers. But that's not the only thing the attack revealed, as it also clued us in to how Sony employees really feel about all of those Adam Sandler movies the studio keeps financing. The short answer: they suck.

Digging into the mass of leaked files, Gawker discovered a batch of employee comments on Sony's general direction, and what they discovered is that a lot of people within the studio want that direction to be in the opposite direction of anything Adam Sandler....

Be more focussed and ruthless in directing our resources to businesses that will sustain the long term health of SPE - networks, broadcast TV shows, new movie franchises, digital distibution By the same token, stop or reduce support for areas that have no more value (Sandler movies, DVD)

There is a general "blah-ness" to the films we produce. Althought we manage to produce an innovative film once in awhile, Social Network, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we continue to be saddled with the mundane, formulaic Adam Sandler films. Let's raise the bar a little on the films we produce, and inspire employees that they are working on the next Social Network. That said, there's a strange dichotomy of encouraging us to be fiscally responsible, but then upper management allows certain talent and filmmakers to bleed us dry with their outlandish requests for private jets, wardrobe and grooming stylists - and are surprised when they are asked to work more than 5 hours to promote their film.

In TV and Theatrical, I hope management looks closely at the money spent on development and term deals to ensure efficiency. There are a lot of term deal personnel as well as creative personnel, yet we only release a dozen or so Columbia Pictures a year, for example. And will we still be paying for Adam Sandler? Why?

It is commendable that SPE understands/supports the importance of risk-taking, particularly in how the we pick films to greenlight. However, the studio needs to change deal structure that has been in place with Happy Madison, as this arrangement has disproportionately benefitted Adam Sandler and his team, relative to SPE.

[T]he studio needs to change deal structure that has been in place with Happy Madison, as this arrangement has disproportionately benefitted Adam Sandler and his team, relative to SPE.

That's just a small sampling, but it's good to know that the grunt workers within Sony are just like us. They don't want to see Blended any more than we do. Not all of the comments are about Sandler, though. Some mention the studio's massive budgets and lack of franchises, lamenting that a movie like Men in Black 3 can make a boat load of money yet still be a loser.


Are you aware that Men In Black 3 may gross $600M at the box office, and yet will lose money for SPE? Shouldn't we question that strategy? Why are some studios making Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Twilight - and we are considering movies like Moneyball, Steve Jobs story, Captain Phillips Story, Evel Knievel story, etc. Are you aware that SPE only has 1 franchise - Spiderman. Yet, it took 5 years to generate a sequel? Spidey 3 was released in summer 2007, #4 in 2012. Don't harry potters come out over 2-3 years? Are you aware that SPE has only 1 franchise - Spidey? Yet we waited 5 years after Spidey 3 (2007) to release #4? Have you read the SEC annual report? Disney will make $300M on Spidey merchandise this year alone. We won't!

It's interesting stuff, not that Sony seems to care. They'll be releasing Sandler's next film, Pixels, on July 24th 2015.

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Sony Plans More Spider-Man Spinoffs and Sequels; Subtitle for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'?

Here's news that will come as a surprise to absolutely no one: Sony is planning on building their own cinematic universe using the Spider-Man rights to the fullest. No shocker there, right? Ever since Marvel and Disney have shown how it's done, we've seen DC and 20th Century Fox follow in their footsteps, and now it's Sony's turn.

During a Q&A with investors, Sony higher-ups revealed that scripts are "in the works" for sequels and spinoffs utilizing characters that fall under the Spider-Man umbrella. We already knew about a Venom film which has Josh Trank (Chronicle) attached in some capacity, but he's busy for awhile with the Fantastic Four reboot. There are a number of Spidey characters they could choose from, like maybe Black Cat, who has been rumored for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 already.

There is an interesting wrinkle that Deadline throws in the mix, however....

"Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009, owns merchandising rights to Spider-Man and those related characters, so any further exploitation would have to involve Disney."

Hey, if Disney is going to get a piece of the pie anyway, why not go full board and just do some sort of crossover? Maybe this could be the bridge to getting the mega studios on the same page and making some serious money together?

But before any of that can happen, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is next up and it may be getting a super-sized subtitle like every blockbuster has nowadays. Sony Pictures Brazil has apparently titled it The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro, at least in that particular territory. It's a fairly common practice for films to have different titles depending on the location, but this one is simple enough that it would work anywhere. At least it makes more sense than the ideas being kicked around for Batman vs. Superman.

Whatever happens, Sony is committed to Spidey for a long time with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 arriving May 2, 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 3 on June 10, 2016 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4 swinging in May 4, 2018.

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Spider-Man will "never ever ever" leave Sony control

So yesterday a pretty big rumor surfaced, one suggesting the possibility of Spider-Man's film rights heading back to Marvel. The story was sparked by a legit bit of news that Sony was considering the idea of publicly selling off parts of their entertainment division, including Spider-Man, Resident Evil, and a couple of others.  Potentially a huge deal, right? Because that would obviously lead to Spidey swinging onto a SHIELD helicarrier in The Avengers 5 or something, right? Well, no.

Ain't It Cool News caught up with Sony Pictures Co-Chair Amy Pascal, and asked her if there was any truth to it. Her response was that she believes her own legacy with the company is tied into Spider-Man, and that she would "never ever ever" let the rights go. Pretty cut 'n dried, right? It's probably not ever going to happen, us seeing Spider-Man battling alongside Iron Man.

Admittedly, I'm a novice when it comes to the ways of accounting and business and all that jazz, but I'm not completely sure the final decision would be up to Pascal. Obviously she would play a major part, but there are elements at play here. The shareholders do have some say here, and so does Sony President Kazuo Hirai, whose comments sparked off the firestorm to begin with. AICN then goes on to wonder "in this day and age, what fool would get rid of a Marvel property?". Tell that to 20th Century Fox...or how about asking Sony themselves, since it was their Columbia Pictures branch that let Ghost Rider revert back to Marvel control?

The fact is, Spider-man isn't going anywhere, so the only hope we have of seeing some sort of awesome superhero crossover is if all of the studios come to some sort of deal. Fat chance of that.

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Sony considers parting ways with Spider-Man; Could Marvel swoop in?

At one point or another, every comic book fan has lamented that many of Marvel's biggest properties are scattered amongst numerous studios. While the publisher and Disney hold the rights to The Avengers and the vast majority of their funnybook heroes, Fox maintains control of the X-men and Sony has the popular Spider-Man franchise under their belt. But what if Sony were to sell off their rights to the webbed wallcrawler? Would Marvel/Disney swoop in to save the day?

That prospect may be unlikely, but it's not completely off the table, as Sony chief Kazuo Hirai informed Reuters and other outlets that they are considering a radical proposal from investor Daniel Loeb to publicly sell off 20% of their entertainment business. That would include letting go of Spider-Man and the Resident Evil series. The goal would be to raise capital for their electronics arm which continues to struggle against the likes of Apple and Samsung.

Hirai: “Third Point’s proposal involves the way we manage a core business of the Sony group and the direction of our management. So the Sony board will give it thorough consideration before replying to Mr Loeb."

This would obviously be a huge deal and would open up the possibility of Spider-Man swinging his way onto the Avengers.  There aren't many who would be able to match Disney dollar for dollar, so basically if they want Spidey back, they'll get him. This is something worth keeping an eye on. For now, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is still under Sony's watch, and hits theaters on May 2nd 2014.

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Adam Sandler in the saddle for comedy western 'Ridiculous 6'

Yesterday we learned that Adam Sandler was leaving his usual home at Sony Pictures and venturing to Paramount for an upcoming untitled comedy. Sony has been going through some financial difficulties, so Sandler's Happy Madison production house made the jump. Now we're learning new details on the film, and it will be a comedy western titled Ridiculous 6.

While no plot details have been confirmed, the title is an obvious parody of The Magnificent Seven, so that would seem to be the route they're taking. Plus it'll give Sandler another chance to get paid to hang out with his buddies like Kevin James, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. Sandler will co-write the script with Tim Herlihy.

This sounds potentially terrible, but certainly it has to be better than Sandler's recent junk like That's My Boy and Jack & Jill, both of which have knocked a dent in his box office dependability. He scored his biggest hit in awhile with the animated Hotel Transylvania, which is rapidly approaching $200M globally.

Sandler has a pretty stable group of low-end directors he can pull from, so finding a guy to helm this thing shouldn't be an issue. The plan is to have Ridiculous 6 ready by Spring Break weekend 2014. [Deadline]

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Andrew Garfield is Spider-Man!

After what seemed like an eternity, Sony Pictures has finally found their man to play Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man in Marc Webb's upcoming reboot of the popular superhero franchise. Garfield beat out a stellar list of the best Hollywood has to offer, including Josh Hutcherson, Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Michal Angarano, Aaron Johnson, and that's barely the half of it.

Garfield is still pretty unknown to most audiences, first drawing attention in 2007's anti-war film, LRed Riding ions for Lambs. Most recently he starred in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and in the first chapter of the trilogy. He'll be seen next in David Fincher's The Social Network, the story of the founding of Facebook.

I was rooting for Josh Hutcherson to snag the role, but Garfield was my second choice by far. The only time he truly impressed me was in Red Riding, where he plays a character not all that different from Peter Parker, a heroic, altruistic reporter trying to do what's right and paying the price for it. If he can bring some of what he had in that film, he's going to be perfect.

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Spider-Man Screen Testing Under Way

Looks like we're getting down to the nitty gritty now as Sony Pictures has already completed most of the screen tests for the actors on their shortlist to play Peter Parker in Marc Webb's Spidey reboot. The list of those who've tested includes the usual names, with one notable addition and one notable omission: Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Alden Ehrenreich, Aaron Johnson, Logan Lerman, and the newbie is Michael Angarano. Angarano is probably best known for his roles in Lords of Dogtown and Sky High, but his best performance by far was in 2008's slept on drama, Snow Angels.

Missing from the list is Josh Hutcherson, who was considered a leading candidate at one point. The likely reason is that he's obligated to Journey to the Center of the Earth 2, which shoots in October. Although the actor is reportedly doing everything in his power to get out of it, it's likely that Sony will move ahead with a more reliable option, and soon.

I like the additon of Angarano. He's really grown on me since Sky High, where he was sorta bland. He faded into the background in Lords of Dogtown as well. His last two films are where he's shown his stuff, in the aforementioned Snow Angels but also in The Forbidden Kingdom. Not a good movie by any stretch, but he held his own with Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

You can read more of Deadline's coverage of the story here.

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Who's Gonna be Under the Spider-Man Mask?

Chances are whoever nails down the role of Spider-Man in Marc Webb's upcoming relaunch of the wallcrawler franchise is gonna be set for a long time. It catapulted Tobey Maguire to superstardom and will likely do the same again. I remember thinking that Maguire was a terrible choice at the time, but he flipped my mind around pretty damn quick.  We've heard a couple of the names that Sony and Webb were considering for the role, but THR has pulled together the definitive list. Some of the names are pretty cool. Some are so wacky I wonder if Mysterio planted 'em.

Andrew Garfield

Possibly my favorite choice, Garfield won me over with his charismatic performance in murky crime drama Red Riding earlier this year. He's pretty old at nearly 28, but he doesn't look it. Based on his turn in Lions for Lambs, I can see him playing an altruistic nerdy student just fine.

Jamie Bell

Yeah, that's Billy Elliot all grown up. Perhaps too grown up. While I think Bell has grown into a fine actor, I think he's a little too rugged to play the geeky Peter Parker. Everytime I see him I think of him in films like Defiance and Jumper. Doesn't seem to fit.

Josh Hutcherson

The odds on favorite in my opinion. Hutcherson has the youth and the look to play a student like Peter Parker, and he's got the film cred thanks to major roles in Bridge to Tarabithia and Journey to the Center of the Earth. My only worry is that he often lacks screen presence. Just look at the way he drifted into the background in a movie like Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Then again as bad as that film was he might've been intentionally staying out of the spotlight.

Alden Ehrenreich

Most people couldn't pick his face out of a police line-up, and they probably think his name sounds like somebody who got shot down in Memphis Belle. But he was a scene stealer opposite Vincent Gallo in Francis Ford Coppolla's Tetro last year, and he's got the face for the part. I just wonder if Sony might want a bigger name attached.

Frank Dillane

If he looks at all familar it's because he played the young Tom Riddle in last year's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Kindof an odd choice, and I'm hesitate to judge because that was such a showy, evil role. I haven't seen his other film, Welcome to Sarajevo, but right now he feels like the longest shot for the part.

An odd assortment of actors no doubt. My favorites are Garfield and Hutcherson, but what do you guys think? Let us know!

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Spider-Man Reboot Confirmed in 3-D; Release Date Scheduled

Sony Pictures has confirmed via press release and their Twitter page, that the upcoming Spider-Man reboot will be released in 3-D. The Marc Webb(500 Days of Summer) helmed project, the first without longtime director Sam Raimi, will is due to swing into theaters on July 3rd, 2012. James Vanderbilt is handling scripting chores.

No casting info is available as of yet, although my money remains on Zac Efron playing the role of the wallcrawler, due to his close relationship with Brian Michael Bendis, who's writing is largely the basis for the direction the franchise has taken. 

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Thor Hip Checks Spider-Man into the Boards

With filming on Spider-Man 4 delayed for an indefinite amount of time due to scripting issues, Paramount and Marvel have decided to push the release date of Thor up two weeks, usurping the coveted May 6, 2011 date from Sony's wallcrawler. That weekend is of particular importance since it marks the beginning of the summer movie season. Since studios are notoriously cowardly folks, Disney immediately slid Pirates of the Caribbean 4 into Thor's old date of May 20, 2011, hoping to capitalize on the lack of competition that weekend.

Sony has stated that it won't be giving up on the May 6th date, and if Spidey does managed to be completed in time it likely will revert back to that original date, which will then cause Thor to be pushed back again.

It's like a really silly game of musical chairs. I think Marvel, which has obvious interests in both films, is quietly positioning Thor to be their new tentpole anyway, what with Spider-Man struggling creatively. Plus, that franchise is already 3 movies deep, normally around the time when the box office starts to drop off.

You can read more on the recent Spidey/Thor developments thanks to Variety's coverage.

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Venom Spinoff Film Confirmed!

Sci-Fi Wire has a story confirming that Sony is moving ahead on a proposed Spider-Man spinoff focusing on his evil alien doppelganger, Venom. Venom was the key nemesis for Spider-Man in the underwhelming third film, and was played at the time by That 70's Show's Topher Grace. No word on whether or not he will return as Eddie Brock or if they will go in a new direction. The script is being handled by Zombieland screenwriters, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.

This is a big mistake. First of all, they didn't exactly make Venom all that impressive in Spider-Man 3. He was cool to look at, but they didn't really give us a reason to care about what he does next. The only route this can take is if they turn him into an anti-hero, which as any Marvel fan can tell you was exactly when Venom became uninteresting in the comics. Ofcourse these studios aren't concerned about the long-term viability of the character as they are about how much money it can make immediately, so maybe that won't matter. It doesn't appear as if Sam Raimi is in any way attatched to this, a fact that will not escape fans.

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