Prior to the release of Captain America: Civil War, the mere thought of Peter Parker rubbing shoulders with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes teetered on the verge of wishful thinking – the kind reserved for historic crossovers like, say, Avengers Vs. X-Men.
And yet, Sony and Marvel defied the odds so that Tom Holland’s Web-Head could be ushered into the MCU, while the former studio was given the green light to craft its own Marvel Universe, beginning with the launch of Venom this October.
It was a landmark moment for comic book movies, in general, and the scene of Spider-Man leaping into battle during Civil War is still enough to leave us giddy with excitement. But what went on behind closed doors? Indeed, how did Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige hash out a deal that would allow Peter Parker to become a permanent member of the MCU?
Well, over on Deadline, Feige outlined how things fell into place:
When Amy Pascal was head of Sony Pictures’ Motion Pictures Group, she’d meet with Feige on how they could be more involved. “She was very gracious,” Feige said, saying she would have his team provide script notes on Spider-Man movies.
At one point, Feige told her “Why don’t you just let us do it? Her version of the story was that she threw a sandwich at us (when I said that) — however, the meeting was then over.” Six or seven months later they reunited, and figured out a way to work together.
Those comments were pulled from Feige’s appearance at the PGA Produced By Conference, which took place this past weekend. And it was here where the Marvel boss discussed indie directors – namely Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) and Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming) – along with the MCU’s lack of awards success.
Granted, with the exception of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, nearly all comic book movies have struggled to leave much of an impression on The Academy. But perhaps Black Panther can come in and change the paradigm? Time will tell.