Disney has entered a partnership with Sony Pictures to bring the $4bn Spider-Man franchise into the Marvel cinematic universe.
Spider-Man, who is a member of super-hero team the Avengers in the Marvel comics, was illegible to appear in Disney’s movie due to Sony’s possension of the character rights, however the partnership will now bring Spider-Man into Marvel’s movie canon.
Both parties are likely to benefit from the deal as the 2012 Avengers movie grossed over $1.5bn internationally at box office, however, Sony Pictures will retain the rights to finance, distribute and own the Spider-Man films.
As per the deal Spider-Man will appear in an upcoming Disney-produced Marvel super-heroes movie “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016 and Marvel will then co-produce the next solo Spider-Man movie financed by Sony Pictures, which will be released in 2017 and feature a new version of the web-slinger.
Michael Lynton, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said: “We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”
Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, added: “Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”
