Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Sony

  • Tom Hardy Finally Addresses Venom’s Rumored MCU Crossover

    Tom Hardy Finally Addresses Venom’s Rumored MCU Crossover

    With production on Marvel Studios and Sony’s Spider-Man 4 finally set to get underway in 2025, buzz around the project has been steadily growing over the past several months. Though the project has been in development since before Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters in 2022 and rumors about its potential plot have been popping up for almost as long, it wasn’t until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton boarded the project following a rumored script overhaul that the wildest and most exciting rumors started to fly.

    Once widely believed to be a team-up film featuring Spidey, Daredevil and other street-level heroes taking on Wilson Fisk, the latest word on the film’s script, by Spidey vets Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, is that it will bring Sony’s Spidey-adjacent universe’s biggest star into the MCU and, along with him, one of the most terrifying villains to hit the pages of Marvel Comics in the last decade: Knull, the King in Black. Though there’s no confirmation of exactly what the actual plan is for Spider-Man 4, reports of screenings of Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance indicate that the film may indeed set up the prospects of an unprecedented studio crossover in which Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock finds himself fully integrated into the MCU and not just visiting for a short-term bender in Mexico. As the release date of Sony’s third and final installment in the Venom franchise draws near, Hardy was asked about the recent rumors and his response may be quite telling.

    When asked by a reporter what the odds of Spider-Man showing up in Venom: The Last Dance might be, Hardy slyly responded by saying, “You know…you know, there are always possibilities. I couldn’t possibly say anything because this is the last movie.” Before moving on, Hardy added, “Yeah, I would love that.” As not only the star of the Venom franchise but also a writer and producer on The Last Dance, Hardy is in a unique position to know exactly what those possibilities are for this film and beyond.

    This is just the beginning for Knull. We’re in spoiler territory now and we hope some of the fun of watching this movie is not knowing what will happen, but trust me, we know full well how important Knull is to the fans, so just as we laid a foundation for Venom, we hope we are doing the same for Knull.

    –Venom: The Last Dance director Kelly Marcel

    Despite Sony putting a bow on the Venom franchise in The Last Dance, director Kelly Marcel recently confirmed that Knull’s story is just beginning. However, with the two most popular symbiote (Venom and Carnage) apparently off the board, it would seem foolish–even for Sony–to try to move forward with a symbiote-centric story. But according to Marcel, “One movie could never do justice to Knull,” which means that somehow, someway, there’s more story to tell. With a piece of the Venom symbiote already on Earth-616 and Hardy’s Brock reportedly headed back to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, it’s easy to draw the conclusion the the King in Black will find his way there as well.

  • Rumored ‘Spider-Man 4’ Subtitle Supports Leaks of Super Symbiote Team Up

    Rumored ‘Spider-Man 4’ Subtitle Supports Leaks of Super Symbiote Team Up

    As Tom Hardy prepares for one last dance as Venom and recent reports have Tom Holland preparing for a very busy 2025, there’s been increasing buzz that the two stars will team up in an unprecedented studio crossover event film. Recent rumors have indicated that Knull, the big bad in Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance, will survive the film and crossover into the MCU for future projects. Now, a new rumor lends some support to that possibility.

    Scooper Cryptic HD Quality, who has been quite reliable in the past, took to Twitter to share that he’d heard a potential subtitle for the fourth installment in Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man franchise. And if what he’s heard is true (note that even he is skeptical of the rumor) it cements Knull entering the MCU.

    Cryptic HD Quality shared that the as-yet-undated film could be titled Spider-Man: The King in Black.

    For those unfamiliar with the Marvel Comics character, Knull is an Eldritch god who created the symbiote race. Long after being imprisoned and losing his connection to them, Knull broke free and slaughtered billions during a cosmos-wide rampage of terror in which he attempted to once again control every symbiote and their hosts. Eventually, Knull’s search brought him to Earth where he faced off with Venom and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a 5-issue event titled The King in Black.

    Given that Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock left a piece of his symbiote behind after visiting Earth-616, all the necessary ground work for Knull to enter the MCU has already been done. The rumors also line up with recent reports that before hiring Destin Daniel Cretton to direct the film, Marvel Studios and Sony overhauled the script for Spider-Man 4 which once featured Spidey and Daredevil teaming up against Wilson Fisk in a street-level Civil War. With production on Spider-Man 4 reportedly getting underway in the first half of 2025, it’s likely that we’ll gain some clarity on these rumors over the next few months.

  • Marvel Studios May Be Planning Unprecedented Crossover Event

    Marvel Studios May Be Planning Unprecedented Crossover Event

    For forty years, Marvel Comics’ crossover events have brought characters from every corner of the Marvel Universe to tell stories larger in scale and scope than could be done on the pages of any individual series. While not every event has been well-received, many of the arcs stand as some of the genre’s most exciting. Jim Starlin‘s Infinity Trilogy, Mark Millar‘s Civil War and Brian Michael Bendis‘ Secret Invasion have already been adapted by Marvel Studios which will next turn to an adaptation of Marvel’s first crossover event, Secret Wars, as the capstone to the Multiverse Saga. While fans wait to see just how that project comes together, new reports indicate that the studio may also have plans for a different type of crossover that would involve an unprecedented level of collaboration.

    As Sony prepares to take its Venom franchise for one last spin around the dance floor, rumors and reports have begun to emerge that suggest that the story of Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock may continue in the MCU.

    After revealing that Knull, the terrifying villain of Venom: The Last Dance, was portrayed via motion capture by Andy Serkis, industry insider Daniel RPK shared the news that the character was set to appear in future projects down the road. WIth Sony having confirmed that the upcoming film will be the final installment in the Venom franchise, that has led to speculation that the character may be making the jump to the MCU.

    While it’s purely speculative at this point, there’s enough circumstantial evidence to allow for the possibility to be considered. Knull, also known in the comics as the King in Black, is an incredibly complex character but what’s important for the context of this potential crossover is that he is an eldritch god who created the symbiote race of which Venom is a part. After losing his connection to them for a time, Knull sought to regain control of them and take over the cosmos. As seen in trailers for Venom: The Last Dance, Knull is sending creatures to Earth in search of symbiotes and it could be assumed that he’s doing so to bring all of his “children” back to him. With a piece of the Venom symbiote having been left behind in the MCU, it’s not too hard to imagine that Knull could be making his way there soon.

    It’s interesting that the news comes just ahead of the release of Venom: The Last Dance and as Sony and Marvel Studios begin to prepare for production on Spider-Man 4. After recently undergoing a major overhaul, the fourth installment in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise has reportedly shifted from featuring a “street-level Civil War” to potentially featuring a Multiversal story that could tie directly into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Holland is reportedly set to play a leading role in both Avengers films and a meeting with Hardy’s Eddie Brock and a battle with Knull could work to put his Peter Parker in the black symbiote suit that first debuted in Jim Shooter‘s 1984 crossover event, Secret Wars, just in time for the 2027 MCU film of the same name.

    The level of collaboration between the two studios that would be required to make this sort of studio crossover is unprecedented but also carries some potentially incredible implications. While Marvel Studios recently had major characters from non-Marvel Studios’ produced films appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, the studio had regained the right to all of those characters. In the imagined scenario where Venom and Knull appear in a film set within the MCU, the studio would be using characters solely owned by Sony and would have no choice but to adhere to the prior storytelling that brought them to where they are. Of course, with the Multiverse Saga in its back half, it is now or never for such an opportunity.

    Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25th.

  • Marvel Studios Rumored to Have Begun the Search for a New Female Lead for ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Marvel Studios Rumored to Have Begun the Search for a New Female Lead for ‘Spider-Man 4’

    With the writing team of Chris McKenna and Eric Sommers back for a fourth go-around and Destin Daniel Cretton on board to direct, the creative team for Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4 looks to be in good shape. With the studios hoping to get principal photography underway in the first half of 2025 to get the film ready for 2026, the next step is assembling talent around star Tom Holland. While the supporting cast of the first MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy had several key members play large roles in each film, Spider-Man: No Way Home remade Peter’s status quo, leaving room for potential new friends and enemies.

    The spell cast by Doctor Strange at the behest of Peter Parker in the final act of the Spidey threequel was intended to make everyone forget they knew the man behind the mask of the Wall-Crawler. And as revealed before the film wrapped, the spell was a success. Happy Hogan, MJ and Ned all interacted with Peter with no recognition of their friend. With his friends safe from enemies who would otherwise exploit them to get at Peter and Aunt May having been killed by The Green Goblin, Peter is set up for a brand new day…which may just include a new love interest!

    According to social media scooper MyTimeToShineHello, as Spider-Man 4 heads for a May 2025 start of production, the project is searching for a new female lead.

    While the scooper didn’t provide any follow-up details, it hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that the character may well be one that’s been both slated to rumored to appear in Spidey movies in the past: Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat.

    A cat burglar with a bit of a vengeful streak, Hardy has engaged in an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Peter.  The plot for Spider-Man 4 has yet to be revealed though rumors about the film involving either a street-level civil war or a crossover battle with Sony’s Eddie Brock/Venom, played by Tom Hardy. In either case, it’s not clear what role Black Cat would play but then again, neither plot is confirmed nor is it clear that she is the new female lead. With the studios moving quickly toward production, however, it wouldn’t be too surprising if more information about the project was revealed soon.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Sets Production Start Date for ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Sets Production Start Date for ‘Spider-Man 4’

    After staying quiet on their plans beyond 2025, Marvel Studios has quite clearly been working hard behind the scenes on getting its 2026 slate put together. Once the studio made the decision to pivot to Doctor Doom as the new centerpiece of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Doomsday, other pieces started to become easier to put into place. And so while projects such as Blade, Armor Wars and a Shang-Chi sequel face uncertain futures, other projects have started to gather some momentum.

    Among the projects that have begun moving forward at the studio is the highly-anticipated fourth installment in Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man franchise. Following rumors of a major overhaul to the film’s script, the studios finally found a director for the project in Destin Daniel Cretton. That news paired with recent reports that Tom Holland‘s new deal with the studios will see him play major roles in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars and that the star would be incredibly busy in the first half of 2025 provided hope that Spider-Man 4 would be ready for a 2026 release. Now, a new report may add a little more fuel to that particular fire.

    According to Production List, production on Spider-Man 4 is currently slated to begin in January 2025.

    Paired with additional news from Production List that Avengers: Doomsday is slated for an April start of principal photography, it looks as though Holland will have a three-month window to film his scenes for Spider-Man 4 before jumping into work on the fifth Avengers film. That timeline is indeed consistent with the filming windows for the three previous MCU-set Spidey films, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    As encouraging as things sound, Production List is NOT a trade and neither Marvel nor Sony have provided any official updates on Spider-Man 4. So as compelling as it is to believe a growing collection of circumstantial evidence, don’t mark anything on your calendars just yet.

    Source: Production List

  • Details on Tom Holland’s MCU Future Reveal Spectacular Plans for Spider-Man

    Details on Tom Holland’s MCU Future Reveal Spectacular Plans for Spider-Man

    Nearly three years have passed since Tom Holland‘s last MCU appearance. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive success for both Marvel Studios and Sony and Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man so beloved that Marvel Studios’ head honcho, Kevin Feige, preempted the film’s premiere with news that both studios were committed to continuing to collaborating on more MCU-set Spidey stories.

    Three years later, there has yet to be any official word on when to expect Spider-Man 4 and more rumors about the film’s plot than anyone cares to count. After recent reports indicated that the film, which was originally rumored to feature Spidey and Daredevil teaming up in what was being billed as a street-level civil war was undergoing a major overhaul, it was revealed that Marvel Studios had struck a deal with Destin Daniel Cretton to direct. With Spidey stalwarts Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers returning to script the film, momentum on Spider-Man 4 seemed to b swinging in the right direction. Now, further good news has begun making the rounds.

    The simple answer is that I’ll always want to do Spider-Man films. I owe my life and career to Spider-Man. So the simple answer is yes. I’ll always want to do more.

    -Tom Holland on his future as Spider-Man, April 2024
    According to Marvel insider Daniel RPK, production on Spider-Man 4 is expected to get underway in early 2025. RPK also reported that Holland’s Spidey will  play a major role in Avengers: Doomsday. With that project also scheduled to film in early 2025, it looks as though Holland will be pulling double duty, filming both simultaneously. Sources have informed the insider that Spidey’s role in the studio’s next two Avengers films, 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, will be larger than it was in either of the previous two installments in the franchise,  Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

    Though it was never officially confirmed, Holland was rumored to have reached a new deal with Sony and Marvel Studios in 2022. Rumors of the terms of the deal included a new MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy as well as lead roles in unspecified Marvel Studios’ productions, such as Avengers films. In that regard, the new report about Holland’s immediate future as the character is consistent with the rumored deal. And with Sony certainly itching to get another entry in the franchise back in theaters, the timeline for Spidey 4 makes sense even if it keeps the star very busy for the first half of 2025.

  • ‘Spider-Man 4’ Reportedly Undergoing a Major Overhaul

    ‘Spider-Man 4’ Reportedly Undergoing a Major Overhaul

    Unbelievably, the tenth anniversary of Marvel Studios and Sony’s agreement to enter into an unprecedented collaboration to produce Spider-Man films set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just months away. In February 2015, the two studios struck a deal that allowed a then-as-yet uncast actor to star in Marvel Studios-produced and Sony-distributed films while also appearing in other major crossover events made solely by Marvel Studios. Over the next seven years, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker appeared in a total of six projects and became one of the MCU’s most beloved characters.

    In 2021, ahead of the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which put a bow on the MCU-set Spider-Man trilogy, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, assured fans that development on a fourth Spidey film had already begun in collaboration with Sony. Nearly three years later, while there have been plenty of reports and rumors about Spider-Man 4, there’s been no official word about when to expect the project in theaters.

    Amy [Pascal] and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after “Far From Home.”

    -Kevin Feige, December 2021
    spider man 4

    Holland reportedly struck a deal to stay on as the Wall-Crawler in 2022 shortly after Feige revealed that Spider-Man and Daredevil were set to lead the MCU’s crew of street-level heroes through the Multiverse Saga. In an early 2023 interview with EW, Feige revealed that the studio cracked the story for Spider-Man 4 and that development on the script had begun. “All I will say is that we have the story,” said Feige. “We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.” Though the work stoppages of 2023 slowed progress on putting that story together, details on the plot of the first installment of the new Spidey trilogy emerged. Spinning, in part, out of the events of the D+ streaming series Daredevil: Born Again, Spider-Man 4 was rumored to feature a “street-level civil war” that would see Spidey and Daredevil gather a team of heroes to take on Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin. With the story in place and production reported to be scheduled for a late 2024 start, a 2025 release for the film seemed possible; however, as time went on without any official word from Sony, fans began to wonder what was going on behind the scenes and with the most recent update indicating there’s been a delay in production that might push the film’s release to 2026, some new information has emerged that might explain why things haven’t gotten underway quite yet.

    According to reliable MCU insider Daniel RPK, Spider-Man 4 is now being developed as a “multiverse” project.

    Though no other details about the new direction of the film, fans have already expressed disappointment in another multiverse project; however, it’s possible that those frustrated fans aren’t looking through the multiversal lens clearly. While the concern about adding multiversal components to the story of Spider-Man 4 is understandable, it does not mean the “street-level civil war” has been removed from the film and could quite possibly point toward Miles Morales swinging into the MCU to join the fray.

    While the distaste for Spider-Man 4 evolving into “another” multiverse project is at least somewhat understandable given that was the premise of Spider-Man: No Way Home, a Peter and Miles team-up would likely be wildly successful. While it wouldn’t have the same R-rated tone as Deadpool & Wolverine, a Spider-Men film would do big business at the box office while allowing Miles to get into the game ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars. Fans of Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 Marvel Comics event, Secret Wars, will remember just how large of a role Miles played in foiling Doom’s plans, so bringing him on board before the 2027 film would allow for the character to do his thing there while also prepping him as a star for the studio’s post-Multiverse Saga future.

  • The 2026 MCU Theatrical Slate Is Reportedly Changing Yet Again

    The 2026 MCU Theatrical Slate Is Reportedly Changing Yet Again

    To say that Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga has been uneven may be an understatement. It seems, however, that some downtime during the work stoppages of 2023 was fruitful for the studio as it has rolled out a string of well-received projects in 2024. With Deadpool & Wolverine marking a return to form at the box office and Robert Downey Jr. returning to bring the Saga’s new big bad, Victor Von Doom, to life, it seems as though there’s a bright future ahead for Marvel Studios…but what exactly does that future hold?

    Heard into the summer convention circuit, fans were holding out hope that the studio’s head honcho, Kevin Feige, would roll out the all-new, all-different Multiverse Saga slate. Convention season has come and gone, though, and other than a retitled Avengers movie, Feige didn’t pull back the curtain to reveal anything fans didn’t already know. Choosing to focus the studio’s time at SDCC and D23 on its 2025 slate of films and streaming series, the Feigester didn’t shed any light on what films would join Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 instead quietly removing one project from the slate. At the time, fans had some ideas about Marvel’s motives behind the move and now it looks as though they might have been right.

    According to longtime Marvel Studios insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios and Sony are currently planning to get production on Spider-Man 4 underway in early 2025 with an eye on having the film ready to release in theaters on July 24, 2026.

    The studios were previously believed to be reporting a Fall 2024 start of production with Sony reportedly pushing for a 2025 debut for the film; however, as we enter the final third of the year, there’s been no word on a director for the project. Should the latest report on Spider-Man 4 hold true, it would join two currently untitled Marvel Studios releases and Avengers: Doomsday on the slate.

    • February 13, 2026: Untitled Marvel Studios Film
    • May 1, 2026: Avengers: Doomsday
    • July 24, 2026: Spider-Man 4
    • November 6, 2026: Untitled Marvel Studios Film

    With a pair of streaming series (Wonder Man and Vision) also expected to be ready for release on Disney Plus, 2026 could be shaping up to be a very bountiful year for Marvel Studios.

  • What to Expect from Sony at D23

    What to Expect from Sony at D23

    Absolutely nothing.

  • Details Emerge on Nic Cage’s ‘Spider-Noir’ Streaming Series

    Details Emerge on Nic Cage’s ‘Spider-Noir’ Streaming Series

    After spending a little more than a year in development, Amazon and MGM+ are now moving forward on their live-action Spider-Man Noir streaming series starring Nic Cage. After debuting in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Cage’s character became a fan favorite which led producers Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Amy Pascal to put gears in motion on the project with Oren Uziel developing the scripts. The series, titled Spider-Noir, series will tell “the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.” Now, as casting on the project gets underway, details about Spider-Noir have begun to emerge.

    As was originally reported, Cage’s Depression-era hero won’t be a variant of Peter Parker but rather Ben Reilly. Brendan Gleeson was recently cast and some new information on the project from a reliable source may reveal which Spidey villain he’ll be playing. Insider Daniel RPK has shared a brief of the project’s plot which includes NYC mob boss Silvermane and cop turned vigilante Yuri Watanabe.

    We follow Ben Reilly, a PI, as he stumbles down a rabbit hole of corruption in 1933 New York City, while also establishing his past as a superhero. Reilly investigates the death of Edward Addison, which leads him to discover that the Mayor is up to something nefarious that involves crime boss Silvermane and femme fatale Yuri Watanabe.

    -Spider-Noir details via Daniel RPK

    It does seem possible that Gleeson could fill the role of Silvermane though there’s already some speculation that he might portray the Noir universe’s Norman Osborn. Gleeson joins a cast that currently only consists of Cage and Lamorne Morris (New Girl), who is set to play Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson. With casting underway, Spider-Noir should begin filming late in 2024 which means much more information on the project will come to light over the next several months.