The third Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was recently released around the world, and it looks that plans for the next installment are already in the works. And it’s no surprise, given that the picture has finally resurrected the global theatrical economy, which had been crippled for over two years by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story goes next,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told The New York Times in an interview, “which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home [the previous Spider-Man film, in 2019].” That is not going to happen this time.”
Along with Feige, Amy Pascal is the film’s producer. The “separation trauma” he’s alluding to is a feud that erupted in 2019 between Sony, which owns the screen rights to Spider-Man and his supporting cast, and Disney-owned Marvel Studios over the movies’ profit-sharing arrangement.
Sony has owned the Marvel character since 1985, but in 2015, the firm stated that it will allow Spider-Man to appear in MCU films such as Spider-Man: Far From Home and Avengers: Endgame in collaboration with Disney and Marvel. Feige was also given the opportunity to serve as a producer on standalone Spider-Man films as part of the deal.
Following fan uproar, the studios eventually reconciled, albeit the details of the new deal are still unknown. Sony has been constructing its own MCU-independent universe centered on supporting Spidey characters like Venom and Morbius, and fans are anticipating a showdown between Spidey and a collection of supervillains known as the Sinister Six. At least one more Spider-Man trilogy will be directed by Tom Holland. Spider-Man 4 will be the first time a live-action Spider-Man returns for a fourth installment.
Meanwhile, No Way Home continues to set box office records around the globe. Despite many cinemas being at capacity, it is likely to have the biggest theatrical opening worldwide following Avengers: Endgame.
