Tag: Sony

Sony Releases the First Poster For ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse will feature more than 240 characters and will be set in 6 universes! The second trailer for the new installment in Sony’s Spider-Verse saga featured more than 20 webslingers, and this was just the beginning. The first plot details for the sequel have already confirmed Miles going rogue against the other variants, which we can’t wait to see.

As explained by director Kemp Powers in an interview with Empire, Miguel O’Hara, voiced by Oscar Isaac, will be the leader of a “band of fighters that are trying to clean up the consequences of the collider explosion at the end of the first movie.” As seen in the trailer, the fighters are obviously variants of Spider-Man who will be part of an organization working against The Spot.

However, the variants won’t be the main villains of the movie. As confirmed by the film’s producers and director, The Spot will be the villain of both the sequels to Into The Spider-Verse. Powers teased a secret connection between Miles and The Spot, which will be explored in the movie.

The Spot is an interesting villain because he seems like a joke, but when you really look at his powers, there’s incredible potential. His ability to open portals across dimensions sets him up perfectly for the Spider-Verse. He’s the villain of the next two films… and let’s just say that the Spot and Miles are connected in surprising ways.
Kemp Powers

New Poster For ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’

Sony Pictures Animation has released the first official poster for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Feast your eyes on it below:

First poster for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

In case you’re not sure about every single Spidey featured in the post, check out our feature on every notable Spider-Variant in Across The Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse releases in theaters on June 2, 2023.

Source: Sony

December 20, 2022
Sony Inks Streaming Deal With Crave for ‘Spider-Man’, ‘The Equalizer’, and More

While Sony’s handling of the Spider-Man IP has been quite questionable, they have their own strengths when contrasted with the streaming craze. Most big studios have been busy trying to build up their own competitor to establish themselves in the market. It’s not too surprising that Netflix would eventually have more competitors to contend with but there’s been anothger strategy that has become quite popular for some. Sony is leading the way by mostly handling its projects to other studios and has now seemingly added a new deal to its belt.

In a report by Deadline, Canadian streamer Crave has inked a long-term deal with Sony Pictures that they’d get the first window rights to their upcoming blockbuster films after their theatrical and home entertainment runs. As such, it would be the exclusive streaming home for upcoming releases like Insidious, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Madame Web, and more.

This deal also includes older projects and is committed to spotlighting the content with “elevated promotional campaigns, including in-product merchandising and experiential marketing initiatives.” It’s a big move for Crave to position themselves in the streaming market but does add more confusion on how exactly these deals affect the releases. Sony has also made deals with Netflix for first look and Disney+, which only recently got access to some of its missing Spider-Man films that were co-produced with Marvel Studios alongside their legacy collection. For now, we can only guess and have to keep an eye out how this might delay releases on other streaming platforms.

Source: Deadline

December 8, 2022
Ang Lee to Direct Brue Lee Biopic Starring Mason Lee

Director Ang Lee is set to direct his son, Mason Lee, in a Bruce Lee biopic. The news was announced by Deadline with the outline noting Lee will portray in Bruce Lee for Sony’s 3000 Pictures. The script is currently being written by Dan Futterman (Capote). Futterman takes over screenwriting duties from Jean Castelli, Alex Law and Mabel Cheung and Wells Tower who have all worked on previous iterations of the script.

The movie is being produced by Lawrence Grey, Shannon Lee, Ang Lee, Ben Everard and Brian Bell. While Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva are set to oversee the project for Sony’s 3000 Pictures.

“Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema. I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.”
Ang Lee in a statement to Deadline

Lee is said to have been working towards directing Bruce Lee for quite some time, reportedly having worked with his son to prepare him for the role, too. Mason is said to have been training for the part for the past three years in Asia. The young actor has appeared in The Hangover Part II, his father’s film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Who Killed Cock Robin?

“Bruce Lee is a longtime passion project for Ang and a deeply emotional story depicting the triumphs and conflicts of one of the foremost real-life action heroes of our time. All of us at Sony and 3000 Pictures are proud to help Ang and his filmmaking team create what we believe will be an extraordinary theatrical event.”
Elizabeth Gabler in a statement to Deadline

As of now, Bruce Lee does not yet have a release date.

Source: Deadline.

November 30, 2022
How ‘Spider-Man 4’ Might Impact Marvel Studios 2024 Theatrical Slate

A new rumor has Sony looking to start production on a fourth Spider-Man solo film in the Summer of 2023 for a Summer 2024 release. If everything goes according to plan, that fourth film would be part of Marvel Studios’ ongoing Multiverse Saga and 2024 is already shaping up to be a busy year in that regard with 4 films headed to theaters. How might a potential fourth Spider-Man film shake up that slate? Let’s take a look.

Current Slate

May 3, 2024: Captain America: New World Order
July 26, 2024: Thunderbolts
September 6, 2024: Blade
November 8, 2024: Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine Movie

By all current accounts, Sony is keen on getting Spider-Man 4 into theaters in July. The studio already has an Untitled Marvel Sony Film slated for that date and if they get production underway in Summer of 2023, as the new rumor states, a July 2024 release date sounds about right. However, Marvel Studios has Thunderbolts slated set for release just 2 weeks after that which is far too close to the potential Spidey 4 date. It seems nearly impossible to believe both films will release in July. One or the other must move and there are plenty of options available.

Option #1

An easy solution is for Thunderbolts to move into August. By sliding ahead to August 2nd, 2024, Spider-Man 4 gets room to breathe and Thunderbolts can take advantage of following that film into theaters. 3 weeks is the same grace period Disney gives its own films (Captain America: New World Order will run for 3 weeks before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; Inside Out 2 will run for 3 weeks before Mufasa: The Lion King), Marvel Studios has released a successful film in August before in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and Disney does not currently have a theatrical release slated for August 2024. Of the two “Summer films” for Marvel Studios, Thunderbolts would have to be the one to move because from everything I’ve come to understand, it must follow Captain America: New World Order.

Option #2

Another frequently discussed scenario is having Spider-Man 4 open in December. Spider–Man: No Way Home opened on December 17th, 2021 and raked in almost $2B; however, there is one major consideration to this option: Avatar 3 is currently slated to open on December 20th, 2024. Sony could opt to release Spider-Man 4 on November 29th, which would place the release 3 weeks after Deadpool and Wolverine and 3 weeks before Avatar 3. Part of the strategy in a December opening is to take advantage of the holiday break, however, and a November 29th release combined with Avatar 3’s presence would all but ensure that theaters playing Spider-Man 4 around Christmas time would be sparsely populated.

Option #3

A third possibility could arise out of the continued delays to Marvel Studios Blade. After several delays, the film recently took on a new director and another new writer who is reportedly starting the script from scratch. Marvel Studios is still expecting to get the film into production next year and hit the targeted September 6, 2024 release date but should it encounter any more delays, Sony could put Spider-Man 4 in September or Marvel Studios could push Thunderbolts to September, allowing Sony to have Spider-Man 4 in July. Moving Blade would complicate things for Marvel Studios as it would likely cause a cascade of subsequent moves into 2025 and beyond, but that’s hardly something Sony would concern themselves with.

Other options exist, of course, but these 3 seem the most viable for a number of reasons. All things considered, the hardcore Marvel Studios’ fans dream probably looks something like this:

May 3, 2024: Captain America: New World Order
July 12, 2024: Spider-Man 4
August 2, 2024: Thunderbolts
September 6, 2024: Blade
November 8, 2024: Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine Movie

It may be a while before we get any official news, but shuffling the theatrical slate is now more normal than keeping it the same so don’t start etching your 2024 movie plans in stone just yet.

November 29, 2022
Spidey 2024! A New Rumor has Tom Holland’s Return to the MCU Just Around the Corner

Rumors of star Tom Holland closing in on a deal to return as Peter Parker have had fans patiently awaiting official word for a month. While nearly everyone believes that Disney and Sony want to and will reach a deal with Holland, whose Spider-Man last appeared nearly a year ago in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the lack of an announcement by Sony has fans on edge. Even though Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige assured fans that a new project was in development and that the character would, alongside Daredevil, lead the street-level heroes of the MCU in the Multiverse Saga, nobody is counting chickens just yet. However, a new rumor has emerged and may give fans of Holland’s version of the character a bit of hope.

According to Twitter Cape Time Podcast host Tom Smith, a fourth Sony-Marvel Studios Spider-Man collaboration has been fast-tracked and could be in theaters by 2024.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 is on the fast track. Holland is signed, but one thing that needs to be settled is the director. Watts is wanted back, but he experienced superhero burnout and dropped out of Fantastic Four for a reason. Zendaya is also wanted back. #SpiderMan pic.twitter.com/vz0IhiduYB
— Tom Smith (@Tom_Smith717) November 29, 2022

The rumor, aligning with a previous rumor, has Spider-Man 4 going into production in the Summer of 2023 with Sony looking at releasing the film in the Summer of 2024. With Marvel Studios already having 2 films (Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts) on the slate for that Summer, some maneuvering of the slate might be necessary; however, both Sony and Marvel Studios are well aware of how important the character is to the overall health of both their wallets, so it would seem likely that the two studios would work something out. While 2024 is a busy year for Marvel Studios (the untitled Deadpool and Wolverine film and Blade are both set for 2024 releases), June, August and October are wide-open months and the reality is that whether it’s Spider-Man 4 or a Marvel Studios film that shifts dates, audiences will fill theaters regardless of when it releases.

Though a 2024 release date is anything but official at this point, Sony’s desire to get another Spider-Man film into theaters quickly is anything but surprising. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a major box office win for Sony, ultimately grossing nearly $2B for the company and showing major staying power over its theatrical run. For Marvel Studios, Holland’s new deal would get Spidey back in action for what would likely be a trio of MCU-set solo films and appearances in the upcoming Avengers films.

November 29, 2022
Legendary Finds New Partner in Sony, ‘Dune’ and MonsterVerse Remain with Warner Bros.

Hollywood is going through a massive change once again, as another surprise development has shown its hands. Long-time Warner bros. collaborator, Legendary Entertainment has seemingly moved on and has a new partner in Sony Pictures. As such, the production company will distribute and market their films globally with Legendary East still handling China. It also means all home entertainment and TV distributions will be handled by their new partner.

This deal also marks an interesting development for their streaming ventures. Sony, unlike Warner Bros. and Disney, has no internal streaming service and simply works with those that exist in the market. As such, Legendary will continue to partner with streaming services for various productions, such as Enola Holmes that has found its home on Netflix. Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group’s Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch had the following to say on the deal:

’s a rare opportunity to partner in this mutually beneficial way with true pros, who are completely aligned in our theatrical commitment and vision for this business. The creative brilliance and power of Legendary is huge and we look forward to bringing their work to theaters across the world.

If you’re wondering what this means for the upcoming releases of Dune and the Monsterverse franchise, they are still with Warner Bros. Dune: Part Two is still set to release in November next year with WBD. Though, it’s unclear what this might mean for future entries moving forward, especially when former WarnerMedia head Jason Kilar released their films on HBO Max alongside its theatrical release. While Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong still were some of Warner Bros. most successful releases since the pandemic started, it left a bitter taste. Either way, Warner Bros. Discovery’s current development also may have led to this decision and Legendary is moving on.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

November 28, 2022
Angela Kang Boards Sony and Amazon’s ‘Silk: Spider Society’

Amazon and Sony are officially looking to expand the Spider-Man universe on the small screen with Silk officially a go. After first being announced in September 2020, the series seemed to land Watchmen‘s Tom Spezialy as its showrunner. However, The Walking Dead‘s Angela Kang is now overseeing the project for both Sony and Amazon/MGM. The project has also received a new title in Silk: Spider Society.

Kang, who was originally set to showrun the upcoming Norman Reedus-led The Walking Dead spinoff, has since moved her overall deal to Amazon. Kang exited the spinoff series earlier this year after Melissa McBride exited the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kang’s overall deal with Amazon has been in the works for a bit now, and that is why she ultimately exited that project. Regarding the move, Kang expressed her excitement over both getting to work on Silk: Spider Society, as well as other various projects for Amazon.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining the Amazon Studios family for this next chapter of my career. I look forward to working with the executive team on diverse, character-forward, watercooler shows for a global audience and am so excited to dive in to my first challenge — bringing Korean-American superhero Silk to life on screen.”

In a statement to the press, Sony Television president, Katherine Pope, expressed excitement over working with Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Kang to bring Cindy Moon’s story to life in live-action. She also revealed that the series will debut domestically on MGM+ before hitting Prime Video globally.

“We can’t wait to bring the adventures of Cindy Moon to life, thanks to the creative dream team of Chris and Phil, Angela and Amy, along with our partners at Marvel and Amazon. We know this exciting series with new and never-before-seen characters and storylines will wow audiences watching first on linear MGM+ and then around the world on Prime Video.”

Silk: Spider Society is the first of many series being developed by Sony as the studio looks to expand its Spider-Man universe on the small screen. As of now, it’s unknown what other projects are in development, although THR has teased that characters from Into the Spider-Verse might be on the table.

Source: THR.

November 17, 2022
The New Deal: A Look at Tom Holland’s Future as Spider-Man

Though it hasn’t been officially announced, the buzz around Sony and Marvel Studios reaching a new deal to continue their collaborative efforts to co-produce Spider-Man films has been at an all-time high this week. The deal, should it be reached, would allow Marvel Studios to get to work on developing new Spidey films with Sony and for them to negotiate a deal with star Tom Holland that would allow him to appear in non-Spidey films. As we wait for word to come down that Holland is ready to get back to work, we take a look at how Tom’s New Deal might play out over the next several years.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2024)

Once the new deal is announced, expect things to advance pretty quickly on the first new solo Spidey outing. In late 2021, Kevin Feige admitted that he and Amy Pascal had already begun developing the story for the fourth MCU-based Spidey film. Even though the film hasn’t been officially given the green light yet, the fact that a story has been in the works for nearly a year means that some of the principal talent involved might be privy to some of that info. Feige announced at SDCC that Spider-Man and Daredevil were going to lead the way as street-level heroes and Tom Holland, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio have all dropped some breadcrumbs along the way that make it sound like the fourth MCU Spidey film might feature Spidey and Daredevil teaming up to take on Mayor Fisk. Of course, it’s also time for Peter Parker to complicate his life by adding a new love interest and there’s no better time than now for that to be Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat.

Fantastic Four (2025)

Undoubtedly, part of Holland’s New Deal will include stipulations that allow for appearances in non-Spidey MCU films. Given that the New Deal will coincide with the Fantastic Four finally making their way into the MCU and that one of Peter Parker’s longest-lasting and most important friendships in Marvel Comics is with Johnny Storm, it’s nearly impossible to think he wouldn’t show up in their film.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026)

Spider-Man is among Marvel’s most valued and beloved characters, so it’s all but a sure thing that they’ll want Holland’s New Deal to include appearances in both their upcoming Avengers’ films. Secret Wars is probably the most ambitious project Marvel Studios has ever attempted and it’s likely to take inspiration from Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 version, which means that another Spider-Man could potentially be introduced here, setting the stage for the remainder of Holland’s time as the Wall-Crawler. It also allows for Marvel Studios to make good on the symbiote suit tease in the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home, allowing Holland to get at least one go around in the beloved black suit.

Spider-Man: One More Day (2026)

Assuming Sony wants to keep churning out new Spidey films every 2 years as they did during the first deal, Holland’s next MCU-based Spidey film will hit in 2026. Assuming the rumors of Sacha Baron Cohen signing on as Mephisto for multiple projects are true, it’s likely that at least one of those appearances would be for a major film and it’s also likely he didn’t sign on to something that would keep him busy for a decade or more. In the comics, Spider-Man made a deal with Mephisto that had long-lasting ramifications for the character. It’s not out of the question that Peter’s MCU story could see him try to find a way to have “one more day” with MJ. Mephisto is just the guy to grant that kind of wish to Peter, but at what cost?

Spider-Man: End of Days (2028)

Unfortunately, Holland can’t and won’t go on forever as Spidey; fortunately, the comics provide a fantastic road map for what to do next and both Sony and Marvel Studios would be foolish not to take advantage of it. Miles Morales is one of the most important Marvel Comics’ characters not just of the modern age but of all time. Giving Peter and Miles time to get to know one another after meeting in Secret Wars would deepen and enrich both characters, make Peter’s death feel like an even great loss and set up Miles as THE Spider-Man for the next decade.

6 projects in 4 years for Holland seems crazy, but obviously, this is all just speculation and no dates are set in stone, not even, as we’ve seen, those for movies as big as Fantastic Four and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, whether the dates are even remotely correct or not, Holland’s New Deal will certainly keep him incredibly busy over a very short amount of time.

November 10, 2022
New Details Emerge about the Origin and Death of the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4 has long been a giant question mark to fans, but some exciting new details are finally becoming public. It’s been known for a long time that Hollywood legend John Malkovich would have portrayed Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, in the film, had it come to fruition, but his character’s actual role in the plot has always been shrouded in mystery. Luckily for those who want more information, an upcoming book centered on Spider-Man, Sean O’Connell‘s With Great Power, has shed a little bit of light on the matter.

According to the novel, Raimi‘s Vulture would have been a modernized version of the villain, who utilized razor-sharp blades on his wings as a primary form of weaponry. He also would have been quite the vicious adversary for Tobey Maguire‘s hero, with a featured scene specifically designed to be on par with Alfred Molina‘s infamously terrifying hospital sequence in Spider-Man 2. Instead of a grotesque transformation, however, the scene in question would have seen Vulture lurking over a library, picking off goons sent to take him down. Storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson confirmed this was an example of how the antagonist would have received his nickname, explaining it as part of the character’s planned origin in the movie:

He was essentially a guy that did as a lot of ugly stuff for the government, did a lot of ugly stuff as a private contractor… I thought a clever thing to do would be to say that part of the reason they called him The Vulture was because when he was done, he didn’t leave anything but bones behind.
Jeffrey Henderson

Furthermore, With Great Power reveals exactly how Vulture would have perished in Spider-Man 4. The plan was for Spider-Man and his winged foe to have a climactic battle that began in the New York City subway system and ended atop the Citicorp Center on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, with Vulture gaining the upper hand before things go sideways. Henderson explains:

They were going to have a big brawl-for-it-all, where Vulture almost kills Spider-Man. And then Spider-Man at the last minute—he’s really wounded, he’s bleeding really badly, he’s in real trouble—Peter finally, almost as a reaction, forces The Vulture off. When he does, it snaps some of the stuff from the wings, so he ends up just tumbling into the ether, off the top of the Citicorp building. That’s what does him in.
Jeffrey Henderson

The book goes on to explain that, after Toomes’ death, his daughter would have stepped in as the main villain for the movie’s third act. It sounds like this version of the Vulture would have been wildly different than the one Michael Keaton eventually brought to life in Spider-Man: Homecoming, even if the later adaptation is still adored by fans.

Source: The Direct

November 7, 2022
Daniel Kaluuya to Voice Spider-Punk in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

The ensemble of the animated Spider-Verse is expanding even more for the upcoming sequel. It has officially been announced that Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya will be playing Spider-Punk in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While many of the characters in the film are Peter Parker Variants, the Spider-Punk mantle is a Variant of a character named Hobie Brown. He joins an already stacked voice cast including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, and Jason Schwartzman among others. The film is being directed by the trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.

Not much is known about what the sequel will entail, but it is confirmed that it will follow Miles Morales (Moore) on a new multiverse-traversing mission with a new team of Spider-people. These include reuniting with Spider-Gwen (Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Johnson) while meeting the likes of Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman (Rae), Spider-Man 2099 (Isaac), and now Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk. It has also been confirmed that Spot, played by Jason Schwartzman, will be the main antagonist of the project.

Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk, a homeless teenager who fights to represent the oppressed citizens of New York City in his universe, was created by writer Dan Slott in 2014. Having an actor with the stature of Daniel Kaluuya voicing the role seems to indicate a major role for Spider-Punk in this upcoming sequel. Kaluuya is best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah alongside his lead roles in both of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Nope.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled to release theatrically on June 2, 2023.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

November 7, 2022