Nevertheless, it appears the talks broke down and Sony will retain the rights to Spider-Man for the time being. The studio will reportedly have a summit in January where they reevaluate the franchise in the wake of a disappointing second installment in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise and the loss of co-writer and executive producer Roberto Orci earlier this year.
In an October 30 e-mail, The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony Pictures president Doug Belgrad tells Sony motion pictures chief Amy Pascal about a potential scenario that would see Marvel produce a new trilogy of Spider-Man movies while Sony retains creative control, marketing and distribution.
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In a separate e-mail, Ms. Pascal tells a business partner that Marvel wanted to include Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
WSJ says that the e-mails reveal CEOs Kaz Hirai and Robert Iger of Sony and Marvel, respectively, had been engaged in the talks.
Among the ideas on the table for January are the Sinister Six and Venom movies already planned, as well as the rumored, female-driven Spider-Verse movie and an animated Spider-Man comedy produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller of The Lego Movie.