More interesting Sony news today – thanks to Stillanerd for the heads-up! Earlier this week we noted Sony’s selling of its online games division (MMO’s, not the PS4) and wondered if that meant Sony could be up for selling other things, such as its flailing film division.
Today we get word that Amy Pascal, who once famously said she would “never ever ever” let Spider-Man go from Sony back to Disney, is stepping down as Sony Pictures Entertainment’s co-chair. She will stay on as a producer for other projects, including the all-female Ghostbusters reboot and the limping Spider-Man film franchise. Unless, that is, Sony decides to sell either it or the studios altogether later this year.
As news broke today the Hollywood Reporter took time to mention Pascal’s past successes (the Raimi Spider-films, the Daniel Craig Bond movies, expansion of TV production) but also the more recent poor decision making which preceded the Sony hacking scandal, such as After Earth and White House Down.
With lots of Sony news happening pretty regularly now it becomes harder to resist the urge to read the tea leaves where the Spider-Man franchise is concerned. Stay tuned, Crawlspacers!
–George Berryman!
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Garfield should reprise the role in season 1 and bring back the casts of TASM series or release the directors cut versions. the series and garfield can’t end up being controversial. spiderman is better with a tv series than a movie trilogy and an avengers film.
and i agree that they shouldn’t bring silk and cooper into this. they are just very boring characters
@ #11 PeterParkerfan – But then again, one would hope that Marvel Studios would not impose what happens in the current comics into the MCU. None of the MCU movies are following current story lines from the comics.
And I agree. I couldn’t think of anything worse than seeing Silk and Carlie Cooper in the movies.
If Marvel gets the movie rigths back then we could get a Spider-Verse 2.0 or mary sue characters like Silk and Carlie Cooper in the movies… which is a big no-no.
I think Sony should keep the movie rights for the good of the Spider-Man movies.
@9 I raise you one Meco Dance Remix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9mmYDenPk4
In all seriousness though, this is excellent news. What Sony needs is some new blood to revitalize their movie division. Particularly where Spidey is concerned. Someone who might be open to working WITH Marvel, similar to what Universal did with The Incredible Hulk. Technically, they still had the rights at that point. Not that I want to see Spidey pop up in an Avengers movie anytime soon, but how neat would it be to see a cameo on the upcoming Daredevil netflix series? Even if it was something as simple as a character reading the Bugle. Given the fact that the future of the Spider films is in limbo, I wonder if that could actually be the project JK Simmons was referring to when he mentioned the possibility of him returning to the role. Doesn’t Marvel technically have the TV rights to Spider-Man now? Hence why the cancelled Spectacular Spidey for Ultimate? I wonder if that’s strictly where the cartoons are concerned, or if they can incorporate the character into the MCU via their TV shows. Not that I want the damn parent backstory to be an arc on Agents of SHIELD, but I certainly wouldn’t mind him appearing in the Netflix shows. He would fit in better there than in an Avenger film, in my honest opinion. Come to think of it… would a Netflix miniseries be cost effective? They could go the BBC Sherlock route and only have about three episodes a year, if that would mean a decent budget.
Now I’m bummed, knowing this will never happen.
Marvel has the rights to Punisher back as well. A Netflix Punisher series could be kick ass, if this Defenders project works out well. You have all these properties, and Marvel could potentially stick Spidey in them now that Sony could POTENTIALLY be a bit more cooperative.
If wishes were fishes.
@7 – Right back atcha, kid! 😎
@8 – I counter with a barber shop quartet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6vAuS0KNs
@#6
You are so god**** beautiful, you know that?
@5 – Fixed it for you. 😎
well, THAT didn’t work/ But you get the idea
pry Spider-man from your cold dead hands huh?
Just another irrelevant studio executive making poor decisions with no real understanding of the Spider-Man character. She should never say “never ever ever”. The Spider-Man film rights belong back at Marvel/Disney, the parent company.
when I saw the headline I was hoping her departure would kill that God-awful sounding Ghostbusters reboot but that hope was dashed when I read the article.you dont reboot perfection . oh well, maybe Spidey will be able to escape the cluthes of this incompetent studio
It’s done.