Sony speaks out on Spider-Man rift with Marvel Studios: 'We are disappointed'

This week has been a roller coaster for genre fans. The good news was that a fourth Matrix movie was confirmed; the bad was that Marvel Studios would no longer be involved with Sony's live-action Spider-Man films after Far From Home. Per the initial reports, Disney wanted to re-negotiate its arrangement with Sony (which owns the Spidey IP) to a 50-50 co-financing deal, which the studio allegedly rejected, thus leading to a stalemate between the two studios. The original partnership yielded Marvel Studios just 5 percent of all first-dollar gross.

While many hoped the major publicity would help drive both parties back to the arbitration table, it sounds like the rift between the two is final with Sony the first to speak out on the matter and clarify things from its perspective.

“Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise,”a Sony spokesperson said in a statement obtained by SYFY WIRE. “We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film. We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own. Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue."

And even if Peter Parker (currently played by Tom Holland) can't be associated with the MCU anymore, Spider-Man: Far From Home still expertly set up the next sequel in its first post-credits scene by bringing back J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson to reveal Peter Parker's secret identity to the entire world. Plus, regardless of MCU connections, it sounds like Sony wants to keep the franchise moving on the same trajectory Feige and Marvel Studios established with the same cast and creative team. Aside from the wall-crawling trilogy capper that will hopefully bring back Holland and Jon Watts, Sony also has sequels to Venom and Into the Spider-Verse in active development.