Sony responds to Spider-Man and Marvel Studios’ breakup

Spider-Man: Far From Home ended with a bombshell mid-credits scene that repositioned the franchise’s future. The surprises of the Avengers-adjacent sequel didn’t stop there.

After Sony Pictures announced that Far From Home had crossed a worldwide box office haul of $1.1 billion — making the blockbuster the studio’s highest-grossing film of all time — news broke on Tuesday that the fan-adored Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige would not return to produce a third film, a move that put Spider-Man’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in question. According to reports, Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, failed to reach an agreement that would keep Feige in the loop, leading many industry leaders to believe this was the end of a historic IP swap.

At the time, sources at Sony told Polygon that the breaking news may have been preemptive, and that negotiations for Feige’s involvement were still ongoing. They also noted that Feige had a hand in shaping movies he didn’t have a producer credit on (such as Venom), and that it was possible the relationship would continue.

Now the break looks much more definitive, with Sony publicly commenting on the deal. Late on Tuesday, a Sony Pictures Entertainment representative sent Polygon the following statement:

Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise. We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film. We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him — including all their newly added Marvel properties — do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own. Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue.

While the news provoked fans of the MCU, launched an expected fleet of Change.org petitions urging Sony to rethink its business, and saw fan bloggers ignite hashtag campaigns aimed at Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman, the outrage over Kevin Feige and the Spider-Man deal may not faze Sony, which has seen comic book movie success outside Marvel Studios in recent years. While Far From Home now sits at the top of the company’s charts, Venom was an international hit, grossing $856.1 million, and a sequel is on the way. Producer Amy Pascal has hinted that after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s Oscar win this past February, a direct sequel and several spinoffs will likely hit theaters over the next few years.

According to the original report about the Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios split, fans should expect more of Tom Holland as Spider-Man, too. Far From Home director Jon Watts will reportedly return for two more movies, likely piggybacking off that shocking end-credits moment and whatever else the Spider-franchise has in store. Just don’t expect the Avengers to swoop in and save the day.