As it is pretty well known these days, Disney isn't the only studio that churns out films with Marvel Comics characters: the "X-Men" and the "Fantastic Four" belong to Fox, while "Spider-Man" swings for Sony.
Since the film rights for all of these properties are living in different houses, so to speak, it presents a win-lose situation for comic fans. While they are treated to numerous Marvel movies each year (there were four such projects this year alone), it eliminates the likelihood that the characters from each franchise will ever cross paths in a "shared" universe...as they do in the comics quite frequently.
According to a new rumor at Uproxx (via Hitfix), the film universes could be crossing paths sooner rather than later. Apparently, execs from Sony are willing to share Spider-Man with Disney/Marvel with hopes to include him in their "larger cinematic plan."
Hitfix stated:
"While I can't get the confirmations I need to verify the story, I'm hearing that there are some very cool 'Spider-Man' plans being discussed that would help Sony refocus their enormously important franchise while also opening up some connections in the onscreen Marvel movie universe that would blow fandom's minds. Will it work out? I don't know. I would love to be able to state for sure that it's happening. What seems clear from what I've heard is that Marvel wants to be able to play with all of their characters, and if they can make that work creatively and on a corporate level, they will, and that means the world gets bigger again."
While this information is thought-provoking for sure, there's no need to get excited just yet. This is just a discussion between studio executives, and they mention a lot of things that just never happen. So, an agreement between the two parties may never see the light of day. But, the fanboys and girls out there can dream, can't they? It sure would be nice to see Spidey fighting the good fight alongside Iron Man and Captain America someday soon.
Stay tuned to HNGN for more on this as it develops.
