When the pandemic hit, Sony was forced to push back most of its upcoming slate. Spider-Man spinoff Morbius was originally going to release in July 2020 but now won’t open until January. Even Venom: Let There Be Carnage was fast-tracked to an October release while the vampire storyline was pushed back further. After a long bit of silence, the film got its first teaser in a long-time. While it’s not the real first trailer for its upcoming January release, it did feature a few glimpses at what the film has to offer. the biggest reveal comes in a brief moment of the Daily Bugle, which is similar to that used in the Sam Raimi films, that has headlines featuring classic Spider-Man villains Rhino and Black Cat.
The interesting aspect of their mentions in this news headline would confirm that they are active in this universe. The timeline on how exactly Sony’s films fit into the MCU’s version of the character has been quite muddled. The first trailer included Michael Keaton‘s Vulture but had Raimi’s Spider-Man costume on a wall with “murderer” plastered across it. So, it technically means Dr. Morbius’ story takes place in the same universe and someone just had a different costume used for the graffiti.
Meet the brilliant Dr. Michael Morbius (@JaredLeto) and his powerful alter-ego, from the 50th anniversary of his Marvel comic debut to his first ever big screen appearance.
Yet, we got introduced to an Info Wars-inspired version of the Daily Bugle in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which wouldn’t have a printed format. Plus, the logo is reused from Raimi’s version as mentioned previously. So, Sony’s lack of consistency has been adding more confusion on if this will actually connect or if they are building their own franchise. Plus, we never meet Black Cat or Rhino in the main universe. So, this might also take place at some point in the future where they got established over time.
The latter teased a connection to the wider universe with a trailer cameo by Michael Keaton’s Vulture, but it seems the director Daniel Espinosa may have given away another cameo. When asked about how it is to direct big stars, he mentioned a few known actors in the film and also name-dropped Tom Hardy. Here’s the translated answer from the interview with MovieZine:
It usually feels strange before the day begins, when you look at the schedule and stand on the set yourself. When you walk around there, the recording looks just like a Swedish production, but then when you look at the schedule and read names like Michael Keaton, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy, then it feels cool and very exciting. But once you start working, it’s exactly the same thing. An actor wants a director and actors want to be directed.
As there has never been a word on his inclusion, it seems the director may have accidentally let his involvement slip in the interview. It looks like Sony doesn’t want to waste any time building up their wider universe. If Hardy does end up in the film, he may end up being a post-credit sequence that connects the films to a new, wider universe. Sony has also recently cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson for the role of Kraven the Hunter.
So, they may have plans to integrate his character into this new wider universe that may or may not include Tom Holland’s Spider-Man moving forward. His inclusion would be an exciting direction forward as Sony continues to build upon Spidey’s vast number of adversaries throughout comic history. Who knows if a new attempt at the Sinister Six is in the future.
It looks like we won’t be getting a Sony streaming service shortly. According to IndieWire, Sony Pictures and Netflix have made a deal to turn Netflix into their exclusive streaming home as of 2022. Its upcoming films like Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Uncharted, and Bullet Train will be heading directly to Netflix after they left theaters and are released physically. They’ve also inked a first-look deal. So, we will see more Netflix Originals produced by Sony. It’s another massive gain for the streaming service after crossing the 200M subscriber mark and purchasing the Knives Out sequels. Netflix’s Head of Global Films, Scott Stuber, gave the following statement:
Sony Pictures is a great partner and we are thrilled to expand our relationship through this forward-thinking agreement. This not only allows us to bring their impressive slate of beloved film franchises and new IP to Netflix in the U.S., but it also establishes a new source of first run films for Netflix movie lovers worldwide.
Now, there is one big question mark that hangs over everyone’s head, and that is how this will affect Sony’s relationship with Disney. The current live-action Spider-Man films are co-produced by the studios. Marvel Studios tackles the creative output so that it aligns with their Marvel Cinematic Universe. It may not directly affect their production, but it does mean that the latest adaptations won’t be available on Disney+ anytime soon. There is a chance that they might make an additional deal and share the rights, but anything is game in the current streaming wars. Deadline confirms that the Spider-Man installments are part of the deal. So, it doesn’t look like the wall-crawler will be available on Disney+ anytime soon for the foreseeable future.
The first 2021 delays have arrived, which included Sony’s upcoming March release of Morbius until October. The pandemic hasn’t been kind to many film studios, as many 2020 releases got pushed back multiple times. Many films are already finished and just waiting to get released. The uncertainty has led to some companies embracing the streaming future, especially Warner Bros., who just outright mapped out every 2021 release to include a premiere on HBO Max simultaneously. It still has led to quite a few controversies, especially Wonder Woman 1984‘s Box Office, but these are uncertain times. Even Disney seems to be considering this option with Black Widow at this point. While everyone else is considering streaming services, why is Sony still delaying their films for many months?
Let’s take a look back at 2019. Rumors were about that Sony Pictures was getting sold. The New York Post revealed that investor Dan Loeb was pitching to Sony a sales plan that included their Sony Pictures division. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seemed quite interested in the purchase and led to some discussions. It is interesting to note, that there are also rumors surrounding the Spider-Man franchise rights. It seems they would automatically return to Marvel if Sony decides to sell their film division. Of course, this put the entire sales process on everyone’s radar. Marvel was able to regain the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four after Disney purchased Fox. As such, the sale could indicate Marvel once again acquiring almost all the rights they sold to avoid bankruptcy back in 1999.
It seems that Sony needs the deal more than Marvel Studios does at times. Sony sold the merchandising rights to Spider-Man back in 2011, only a year before they rebooted with The Amazing Spider-Man. They even confessed that the sale was short-sighted before claiming that they won’t sell the division after a $1 billion write-down in 2017. Of course, it led to the deal to co-produce films alongside Marvel Studios, which seemed to work out in both companies’ favor. There was a falling out that led to the partnership suddenly getting discontinued in 2019. Luckily, it got amended to continue with the Tom Holland-led franchise, but it certainly left people wondering what led to that decision.
Why am I bringing all this up? Well, if Sony Pictures has been facing potential bankruptcy as frequently as it does, 2020’s pandemic could not have done them any favors. Now, they are continuously postponing their films without any streaming service of their own. Last May, they did make a $70 million deal for Tom Hanks‘ Greyhound on Apple+, but they didn’t see a reason to continue this business model. Their latest delay – most likely to be followed by many more – is most likely to lead them to re-explore new options. In the end, Marvel Studios and Disney may end up being the actual winner in this scenario. If they try to discuss streaming options with Apple for their streaming service, it may put them in a bind with their Marvel-Disney contract.
The logical conclusion would be to make a deal with Disney to add their family-friendly content on Disney+. Now, this dependency could give Marvel an advantage in future dealmaking for the character and every property surrounding him. The current situation may also lead to Sony Pictures re-evaluating the deals made to sell, especially if 2021 releases might not bring in the Box Office necessary to cover deficits from the constant delays. We will see how the next few months develop to see if Spider-Man may get his actual homecoming after all. This development is nothing more than speculation, but it does open up the question of what the future looks like for Sony Pictures in these uncertain times.
It’s not looking too good for the early 2021 releases right now. we’ve already gotten the first signs, as Marvel Studios and Disney are starting to potentially consider moving Black Widow to streaming services earlier today. Warner Bros.’ decision to pursue a simultaneous streaming and theatrical release might be paying off after all, as some more releases are getting postponed. The latest delay is Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spin-off Morbius. It seems the Jared Leto-led project has been pushed back from March 19th until October 8th of this year.
Originally, the film was meant to release July 31st, which already saw a three-week delay at the time. It looks like most of Sony’s films are going to see another delay, such as Uncharted, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Connected, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and many more. Of course, it also could mean that Spider-Man‘s third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may also face a delay into 2022.
The studio has already faced many delays, but the 2021 film slate is slowly piling on more than it may handle. Even if things start returning to normal throughout 2021, there is no guarantee that people are willing to return to theaters. There is a sense of uncertainty that will still linger, which will certainly impact the 2021 Box Office. Even Wonder Woman 1984 was not able to keep its momentum and crashed in its second weekend. We will see if Sony’s delays will really benefit them in the long-term, as avoiding any streaming alternative might end up hurting their business long-term. We’ll see if any other projects might also get delayed in the coming weeks.
After Venom‘s success, Sony increased its efforts to develop its own shared universe, populated by Spider-Man characters whose rights were in their possession. Development began on a Morbiusfeature and in June 2018 Jared Leto was brought on board as the titular character. Early 2019 marked the beginning of principal photography as production wrapped up later that year, around June.
The first trailer was released in January 2020, as the studio eyed a July release date. Due to the COVI-19 pandemic, this was later changed to March 19, 2021. With the pandemic still far from being under control, and with cinemas still closed in most countries, the release date was once again shifted, this time to October 8, 2021, then to January 21, 2022, before settling on January 28.
In yet another pandemic-related delay, mostly due to the worldwide dissemination of the COVID-19 Omicron strain, Morbius‘ premiere was moved to April 1, a full 21 months after its original release date.
The announcement of Electro joining Spider-Man 3 had everyone theorizing. Is he the same character we meet in The Amazing Spider-Man 2? If so, why did he announce that he won’t be blue this time? There were a lot of hints pointing to this potentially being a live-action adaptation of the Spider-Verse. Yet, it could just be that they are reintroducing Electro with the same actor to build-up to the Sinister Six. Just yesterday, it could’ve gone anyway. Well, I did say that was what we thought yesterday. Now, we know that Benedict Cumberbatch will join the upcoming Spidey threequel. Now, it is hard to deny that there is some Multiverse aspect in play. I am not here to discuss the story implications, our very own Superhero Theorist will tackle that. In my case, I want to write about the reason this is happening. In my view, this storyline may be the result of Sony’s latest deal to keep the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in Marvel Studios’ hands.
Let’s return to last year when the world was less chaotic. In a sudden twist, Sony announced they will not renew their contract with Marvel Studios. Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige would only remain as a consulting producer rather than have full control. Negotiations fell through, and it seemed like Sony Pictures was taking back their creative rights. Luckily, they managed to come to an agreement that would let Marvel Studios finish the trilogy. It even includes an additional cameo. For now, there are no more plans for Spider-Man within the MCU. This could very well be his last appearance for some time if no new contract is finalized. Funn enough, Kevin Feige may have already hinted at the character’s development last year.
He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.
Doctor Strange’s involvement in the unnamed Spider-Man sequel may have strong ties to this contract. Today’s news would also confirm that the additional cameo will be in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. If no new deal is reached for the character’s return tot he MCU, it is a risk for Marvel Studios to set up future appearances and sequels. They might be trying to set-up a storyline that could keep the door open for a future return. If there is no new deal, Spidey’s absence makes sense in-universe. As such, they aren’t closing the door on a future contract but are wary of it potentially falling apart again. As Feige mentions, he can cross cinematic universes, so he is not ruling out a return in some form.
Why does this matter? Well, Sony wants to develop its franchise surrounding Spidey’s expansive cast of character. They’ve already started with a Venom film that already has a sequel underway. It is noticeable that this film did not have any references to Spider-Man or his larger universe. It wasn’t until the Morbius trailer that we got any connections. It revealed a short sequence that features Michael Keaton‘s Vulture. There was also an image of Spider-Man graffiti with Murderer painted over it. At face value, this is an obvious connection to the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Yet, someone chose an image with the costume from the original Sam Raimi trilogy. It wasn’t even from the film but ripped straight out of PlayStation’s Spider-Man game.
There is one more thing that adds to the confusion. Spider-Woman director Olivia Wilde let slip that she is in contact with Kevin Feige while developing the film. So, it seems like some cooperation is happening behind the scenes. The way it’s mentioned, it sounds like a consulting position. It seems odd he is her first reference point. There is a chance that we could see some of Sony’s characters officially being part of the MCU as they expand the contract beyond just the titular web-head. I doubt we will see Morbius in Blade, but there seems to be some kind of connection. The Strange reveal today would lean on this being an alternative universe with similar set-ups just without the Avengers. Whatever it may be, this storyline seems to be the result of that contract and the uncertainty of the future. Feige wants the character’s trilogy to end on a high-note while keeping the potential of sequels open. Hopefully, they will find some agreement as the franchises continue to grow.
Following the release of the Morbius trailer last week, baseless speculation began that Jared Harris might be playing Doctor Otto Octavius in the Sony film. I’ve spent the better part of the last week doing my best to inform everyone (via my Twitter account) that not only is Harris not playing Doc Ock, but that he is playing a different doctor: Dr. Emil Nikos.
Described as “calm and fatherly” Harris’ Nikos is the mentor to Jared Leto’s Morbius. He is the director of the underfunded institution we see in the trailer and despite having “every right to be cynical, ” he has chosen the “path of hope.”
I can imagine fans are having a hard time wrapping their heads around this because it represents a change from the comics, where Nikos was Morbius’ peer and best friend. That being said, this hardly represents the first time a character was adapted to serve a different purpose on screen. Given the fact that the trailer seems to paint Nikos in a sympathetic light, I’d wager it’s still safe to assume one aspect of the character might carry over from the comics: I’d put my bet down that he’ll still be the first victim of Morbius.
Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on October 16, 2018
The box office success of Sony’s Venom means that their planned Universe of Marvel Characters will continue. Up next for Sony is the Jared Leto-led Morbius, which tells the tale of Dr. Michael Morbius. Morbius is a biochemist who in an attempt to cure a fatal blood disease injects himself with a treatment serum derived from bats. Morbius is transformed into a creature with vampire-like traits, including super strength and reflexes and a thirst for human blood. Back in July we brought you the first details on the film’s leads, including the first descriptions of the film’s villain and Martine Bancroft. With filming projected to begin sometime in the first quarter of 2019, Sony has begun searching for its cast and we now have an update on the film’s villain!
In our July exclusive we revealed that the film’s antagonist would be a friend of Morbius’ who turned on him and that still remains true. However, at the time we speculated that friend might be Emil Nikos. While Nikos will be in Morbius (though this iteration of Nikos will be very different from his comic book counterpart), he is not the film’s villain. Michael Morbius will face off against his good friend Loxias Crown!
If that name doesn’t quite ring a bell it’s because Loxias Crown doesn’t exist in the comics…not by that name anyway. It seems as though Sony might be adapting the mutant supervillain Crown, who later went by the name Hunger and came into conflict with Spider-Man and Morbius.
Crown first appeared in 1997’s Spider-Man #76. If Sony is adapting Crown here, they’re making some serious alterations to the characters history. In the film, Loxias Crown suffers from the same rare blood disease as his good friend Morbius. Like Morbius, Loxias will be transformed by the serum that Moribus developed to cure them and the film’s main conflict will center on Morbius trying to stop the killing machine Loxias has become while also fighting off his own blood lust.
With the film hoping to start production early next year, casting for Loxias could happen at anytime, but as of now Jared Leto remains the only actor who has signed on for a role. Stay tuned to That Hashtag Show for more on this story as it develops.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
