What the Sony Email Hacks Have Revealed About "Spider-Man's" Film Future

[CBR News]

The Sony email hacks have brought many details about the company's "Spider-Man" franchise to light, including the possibility of a Marvel crossover.


Full article here.

[RobinFan4880]

The Sony execs are worried about the franchise

Certainly, the fact that a deal with Marvel may be on the table might be an indication of this on its own, but emails obtained by O Vértice imply that Sony executives aren't quite sure how viable a property "Spider-Man" can be without the aid of the greater Marvel Universe. A conversation (published on the site translated from English to Brazilian) between Jeff Robinov and Amy Pascal discusses possibly bringing on Stan Lee to invent a new character for Sony to exploit. Furthermore, the conversation implies that unless Sony decides to partner with Marvel, they're running out of options.


Spider-Man shouldn't need the rest of the MU to be popular. The problem is that Sony has no idea what makes Spider-Man such a compelling character and has zero clue about how to take those concepts and translate them onto the big screen.

Look at the last film for example. Peter Parker would never run up onto the graduation stage and kiss his girlfriend. More to the point, no one at his high school would cheer him on. The only time Peter can be spontaneous and funny like that is when he is in costume.

Another problem is Sony's apparent love of the Green Goblin. The Osborns were a huge focus for the original trilogy and, with ASM 2, became the principle villains for the new series of movies. Spider-Man has lots of other villains in his rogue's gallery. We don't need to see the Goblins pop back up.

[KabutoRyder]

If Marvel wants to bring Spidey back with a clean slate and back burner the emo romancy stuff in new movies I am all for it. For all the good of the ASM movies, I love Garfield's quippy Spider-Man, so much was done wrong. I am all for shaking that baggage and starting again with an established spidey so we dont need yet another movie where Uncle Ben dies.

[Stay Puft]

Make it so, number one. Spider-Man/Civil War. Yes.

I was just not a huge fan of both The Amazing Spider-Man films...and Sony is probably that their plans for Spider-series of films aren't tracking well. I agree that if a unification should take place, that it would be worth getting a new Spidey. Yes, all of the fans may grown in having to relive yet another origin story, but we see it all the time with Batman and there are storytelling ways of slipping in ol' Webhead without having to do a huge origin.

[Who The Hell is Peter Palmer?]

The ASM films are seriously flawed, but casting is one of the few things they've gotten right. I actually like Andrew Garfield as both Spider-Man AND Peter Parker, and I think most of the actors have been able to turn in really consistent performances, if not sometimes limited by the material they're being handed.

That said, if Spidey is to exist in the MCU, he'd have to be recast. As much as I've come to like Garfield, I'm OK with him being replaced if it means getting a canonical Spider-Man film that's on par with the rest of the MCU, in terms of quality.

So, what if--for the first time... they cast someone age appropriate? I say, let's get an actual 14 or 15 year old who looks and sounds like a baby. They could make it work like the Harry Potter films, with his age progressing naturally as the films go on. Think Ultimate Spider-Man; I think it'd be great to be able to explore the dynamic between a teenaged Peter Parker and his adult colleagues in a way that's akin to Bendis's original Ultimate Spidey series. Particularly the clashing of heads between Peter and Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D. (though that could be tricky given the whole Hydra thing...) I think that's the best course of option at this point, though. The main reason people were pissed off with TASM is because it rebooted the preceding trilogy so soon after the fact. Even with popular opinion on TASM as low as it is, a second reboot so soon would likely garner similar feelings of anti-reboot. Sure, hardcore MCU and Spidey fans would rejoice, but the rest of the population who doesn't care quite as much about that kind of stuff would probably let out a collective sigh. UNLESS they did something drastic that would help set it a part from the previous two franchises. I think casting a child-star in the lead would help set it apart from not just other Spider-Man films, but from just about every other superhero film ever made. It'd also just be seriously cool. I mean, come on, who doesn't love some Ultimate Spidey?

[simbob4000]

If Marvel wants to bring Spidey back with a clean slate and back burner the emo romancy stuff in new movies I am all for it. For all the good of the ASM movies, I love Garfield's quippy Spider-Man, so much was done wrong. I am all for shaking that baggage and starting again with an established spidey so we dont need yet another movie where Uncle Ben dies.

But how would Marvel do it? Movie Spider-Man doesn't have anything to sell to the devil.

[Crimz]

I liked Garfield's Spiderman, his Peter Parker could have been better. But his Spiderman was fun and not was wrong with the films, his chemistry with Emma Stone's Gwen was great. If Marvel gets Spidey back then I want Grant Gustin for Spiderman.

[PeterBenjaminParker]

Latino Review is about as reliable as a Disney villain.

That being said, Andrew Garfield is pretty much perfect as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and re-casting would be a huge misstep as well as a pretty big "eff you" to Garfield. The only way I'd be okay with a new actor playing Spider-Man is if they went with Miles Morales, even if he was re-written as the "main" Spider-Man of the MCU.

[arosenbarger]

But how would Marvel do it? Movie Spider-Man doesn't have anything to sell to the devil.

You, internet contributor, win the internet for today. Here are your tokens!

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

If Marvel wants to bring Spidey back with a clean slate and back burner the emo romancy stuff in new movies I am all for it. For all the good of the ASM movies, I love Garfield's quippy Spider-Man, so much was done wrong. I am all for shaking that baggage and starting again with an established spidey so we dont need yet another movie where Uncle Ben dies.

Pete's always been a pound-the-walls emo with low self-esteem. If he suddenly became confident and emotionally stable, I wouldn't know how to handle it.

[marvelguy25]

The Sony execs are worried about the franchise

Certainly, the fact that a deal with Marvel may be on the table might be an indication of this on its own, but emails obtained by O Vértice imply that Sony executives aren't quite sure how viable a property "Spider-Man" can be without the aid of the greater Marvel Universe. A conversation (published on the site translated from English to Brazilian) between Jeff Robinov and Amy Pascal discusses possibly bringing on Stan Lee to invent a new character for Sony to exploit. Furthermore, the conversation implies that unless Sony decides to partner with Marvel, they're running out of options.


Spider-Man shouldn't need the rest of the MU to be popular. The problem is that Sony has no idea what makes Spider-Man such a compelling character and has zero clue about how to take those concepts and translate them onto the big screen.

Look at the last film for example. Peter Parker would never run up onto the graduation stage and kiss his girlfriend. More to the point, no one at his high school would cheer him on. The only time Peter can be spontaneous and funny like that is when he is in costume.

Another problem is Sony's apparent love of the Green Goblin. The Osborns were a huge focus for the original trilogy and, with ASM 2, became the principle villains for the new series of movies. Spider-Man has lots of other villains in his rogue's gallery. We don't need to see the Goblins pop back up.

1) he kissed Gwen because he was overjoyed. I do things like that at times.

2) the goblin has a rich history in the spiderman mythos. Taking him away would be like taking dick Grayson away.

[Crimson Knight]

1) he kissed Gwen because he was overjoyed. I do things like that at times.

2) the goblin has a rich history in the spiderman mythos. Taking him away would be like taking dick Grayson away.

I would argue, with GG being the arch nemesis, that it's more like taking away the Joker, but yes, I agree.

Like, feel it can work with Doc Ock, symbiotes, odd vampire, like Morbius, or Morlun, and the animal villains, all that.

And, all sorts of different Peters. The confident, the underconfident, the angry, the mean, the brooding, the sad, the happy, the heroic, the villainous, all that.

So, not sure either MacGuire or Garfield are wrong, just more aspects and interpretations of the character.

Glad TASM2 was less emotionally overwrought, with more action, comedy and all that.

Wish it was a bit less scattered, or crowded, but hopefully TASM3 can sort things like that out. Looking forward to Venom, and hope Sinister Six can work.

[marvelguy25]

I would argue, with GG being the arch nemesis, that it's more like taking away the Joker, but yes, I agree.

Like, feel it can work with Doc Ock, symbiotes, odd vampire, like Morbius, or Morlun, and the animal villains, all that.

And, all sorts of different Peters. The confident, the underconfident, the angry, the mean, the brooding, the sad, the happy, the heroic, the villainous, all that.

So, not sure either MacGuire or Garfield are wrong, just more aspects and interpretations of the character.

Glad TASM2 was less emotionally overwrought, with more action, comedy and all that.

Wish it was a bit less scattered, or crowded, but hopefully TASM3 can sort things like that out. Looking forward to Venom, and hope Sinister Six can work.

oh yeah, hopefully sony can get their heads together and hopefully negociate a summit of adding TASM universe into the Marvel Live Action Universe(tv and film) and After TASM 3 or whatever spiderman movie comes in 2018 continue with a netflix series because the spiderman mythos works better on tv. it would be a wasted effort if they continue with the movies or reboot the movie with another movie. they wouldn't do things justice like flash and betty's chemistry, their struggles, the villain's development and lives, peter and mj's compelling chemistry, etc. spiderman is basically a soap opera and his rich history is more unique than him in the avengers.

[CoronaSmith]

I agree kill off peter bring in miles morales. Why? Because I have 8 copies of his first appearance I'd like to cash in on.

[Crimson Knight]

oh yeah, hopefully sony can get their heads together and hopefully negociate a summit of adding TASM universe into the Marvel Live Action Universe(tv and film) and After TASM 3 or whatever spiderman movie comes in 2018 continue with a netflix series because the spiderman mythos works better on tv. it would be a wasted effort if they continue with the movies or reboot the movie with another movie. they wouldn't do things justice like flash and betty's chemistry, their struggles, the villain's development and lives, peter and mj's compelling chemistry, etc. spiderman is basically a soap opera and his rich history is more unique than him in the avengers.

Yeah. Space opera for Guardians, Earth opera for Avengers, and soap opera for Fantastic Four, X-Men - at times - and definitely Spider-Man.

Yeah, would love that. A new, serious Batman show live action, new Superman show, outside of Krypton, or Smallville/Supergirl.

And, would love seeing Spidey week to week, villains, loves, jobs, Peter and all.

And, Miguel, Miles, Ben, Kaine, as well as other versions of Peter, like Noir, Manga, or MC2, await, outside the usual.