The Sony hack continues to unearth a wealth of information surrounding the studio’s discussions with Marvel. Earlier this week, e-mails between the two parties revealed that a possible collaborative deal was on the table which would permit Marvel to include Spider-Man in their cinematic universe. With a new batch of exchanges hitting the web, the plot now thickens.
In a stream of discussion between Spider-Man producer Matt Tolmach, Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Amy Pascal and Columbia Pictures president of production Michael De Luca, talk turned to the Sinister Six spin-off. Tolmach’s concerns orbited around the film’s villains, with his choices revealed as Carnage or his personal favorite, Venom.
The long-gestating flick, which would see Spidey team up with the Sinister Six to combat a larger threat, would introduce the Venom character, who Tolmach believes isn’t weighty enough to support his own solo movie just yet. In the Sinister Six movie, Spidey would don his black suit and shed it after being teased by the Six (no joke). As fans know, the finder of the suit then becomes Venom.
So, how would this hook into the previously-mentioned Sony/Marvel crossover deal? It turns out that the deal Marvel put to Sony, which would involve Spider-Man making a cameo appearance in Captain America: Civil War, is still a distinct possibility. Should it go through, the 60/40 financial split between the two studio giants would see Marvel coughing up the bigger percentage, and Sony picking up the rest of the tab for distribution. This points to Marvel retaining full creative control over the characters after their displeasure at Sony’s handling of the Spider-Man property thus far; mainly due to rumors of the Aunt May spin-off and the all-female Spidey pic. Clarifying matters, De Luca confirmed that part of Marvel’s stipulation for the deal to incorporate Spider-Man into Civil War would completely change the franchise. How?
Marvel wants Andrew Garfield out and a new Spider-Man to re-launch the character. In fact, the comic book titans have apparently been so disheartened by Sony’s five Spidey features, that if they DO get him back, they intend to ignore all of the previous entries and start with a fresh new brand. That means we won’t be seeing another origin story or any further romantic entanglements for him. Marvel proposed an idea wherein Spider-Man would already be an established dual persona – and this may be the Spidey we see in Civil War.