When news of Sony and Marvel Studios parting ways when it came to Spider-Man hit the web yesterday evening, I’m not sure I’d seen social media light up like that with discussions pertaining to Webhead himself since the Mouse House secured him for Captain America: Civil War. But at that time, folks were a lot cheerier.
This time, however, everyone from diehard True Believers to casual moviegoers are furious at the notion of Peter Parker exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that’s understandable, because this iteration of the character is heavily tied to the late Tony Stark and can no longer be an Avenger. Can you imagine a third film in which Peter can’t even make mention of his mentor?
If there were to be a silver lining in this, it’s that the initial report said two more flicks to be headlined by Tom Holland were planned. But now, The Hollywood Reporter says that the lead actor’s contract merely has an option for one more picture – and that means he could walk away if he so chooses. Director Jon Watts, meanwhile, has fulfilled his two-movie deal and is at liberty to pursue other projects.
You know, if Holland does bounce, that’d certainly be bad news for Sony. Although they have an Oscar winner in the form of Into The Spider-Verse and a financially successful Venom on their hands, their own live action movies centered on Spider-Man himself are parabolic in quality, to say the least. If they were forced to reboot the character yet again, I’m not sure how audiences will respond.
According to an insider speaking with THR, “The big test will be two years or so from now, when an eventual Spider-Man movie is made,” and I couldn’t agree more. Far From Home‘s mid-credits scene was a gargantuan game-changer for the wallcrawler, so it’d be a real shame if that thread weren’t to be picked up on whenever the next production comes together.
