The new Spider-Man deal sees Disney receive 25 percent of the profits from Spider-Man 3 - but they also have to pay roughly a quarter of the production costs. The stars have aligned once again, and Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have signed a new agreement that keeps Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU. Marvel released an official press statement confirming that Spider-Man 3 would be released in July 2021, and that Holland would also be reprising the role in one further MCU feature film.

This latest Marvel/Sony deal is being kept a lot more secretive. In addition to Holland’s two further MCU appearances, a comment from Kevin Feige implied that Sony still has the greenlight to use Spider-Man in their developing Venomverse movies. It’s unclear whether the likes of Venom and Morbius will essentially be adjuncts to the MCU, or whether Spider-Man will learn to cross the dimensions. Whatever the truth may be, that’s a real win for Sony.

Both Variety and Buzzfeed have acquired further details of the new deal. They report that the agreement was reached Thursday night, with top figures from both studios involved in the negotiations, including Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and Walt Disney co-chairs Alan Horn and Alan Bergman. Feige will be on board as producer of Spider-Man 3, and Marvel and Disney will recoup 25 percent of the profits. In return, however, Disney will be expected to put up roughly a quarter of the production costs as well.

The initial negotiations between Disney and Sony fell through when the House of Mouse reportedly pitched for up to 50 percent of the profits. Interestingly, there were reports that Sony’s Rothman - known to be a tough negotiator - had offered up to 25 percent and a co-financing agreement. Given that’s the case, it’s hard not to get the impression that Sony came out on top in this renegotiation. The final deal seems to be very similar to Rothman’s offer, and they have increased access to Holland’s Spider-Man for their own films as well.

There’s been a popular view that the power dynamic in these negotiations was skewed in Disney’s favor. This report, however, seems to imply that it was Sony who had the stronger hand. Fundamentally, they are the ones who own Spider-Man’s film rights, and they were also very publicly beginning to develop their own plans for the Spider-Man in the Venomverse. Hopefully further details of the negotiations and final agreement will emerge soon.

More: Everything Added In Spider-Man: Far From’s Home Extended Cut

Source: Buzzfeed, Variety

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