Sony didn’t just makeVenoma hit on their own. Reportedly, the studio got an assist from Marvel Studios top man in charge Kevin Feige. Right now, fans desperately want to know what’s happening between Sony Pictures and Disney execs behind closed doors. The two studios reportedly failed to come to an agreement regarding the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and fans are outraged.
People are throwing blame at both sides of the table, and Sony is trying desperately to keep the ball in their court. By ball, I mean fans' positive perception of them and the profits from the web-slinging character. By doing so, they’ve shed some light on exactly how much they relied on Marvel kingpinKevin Feige.
It’s been reported that the breakdown of theSony-Marvel agreementthat kept Peter Parker in the MCU and Sony’s standalone films boiled down to money. Disney supposedly wanted to up their previous agreed upon 5% first-dollar gross on the solo Tom Holland Spider-Man films to an even 50/50 split. When Sony refused, talks fell apart. Disney has remained generally quiet about the situation, but Sony has issued a statement expressing their “disappointment” inDisneydecision not to allow Feige to continue as lead producer in theSpider-Manfilms in their pipeline.
They placed some of the blame on Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox, adding 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.“Sony’s statementclaims that they hope things “might change in the future” between the two studios. They also had this to say about the Marvel Cinematic Universe maestro.
“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.”
A recent report delved into exactly how much “help and guidance” Feige provided them with. The report alleges that Feige actually helped steerVenomin the right direction. Sources say Feige lent an “unofficial” hand in shaping Marvel projects outside of Spider-Man like the box office hitVenom. Although it was ultimately Sony Pictures executive Tom Rothman that “spent a good long time in the editing room,” beforeVenom’srelease because the picture was “far from the polished product that grossed $856 million worldwide.”
Although there have been no specifics about Feige’s involvement in the Tom Hardy-meets-symbiote film, the development of the movie was a bit rocky. Pre-Marvel deal Sony had originally intended on a Venom-centric film after Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man 3. However, development fizzled out along with the Toby Maguire movies.
When development finally took off, there were rumors that a Tom HardyVenomwas going to follow inLoganandDeadpool’sfootsteps and achieve that R-Rating. Even the initial teasers and promotional material had a sharp edge to it. The finished product, however, had a much more light-fun MCU feel hanging on an entertaining Tom Hardy performance. There is no way of knowing where the softer influence came from, but it led to a successful tentpole film.
Sony is dispelling the idea that they need Feige’s “help and influence,” and are confident the studio will be fine without him. They currently hold the rights to 900 Marvel Comics characters, withMorbius the living Vampire, sequels toSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the follow-up toSpider-Man: Far From Homeand of the nextVenomfilm currently in the works.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait and see what’s in store for the lovable web-slinger. Check back with us for all your Marvel and Sony updates. This news comes to us by way ofDeadline.
