'Spider-Man' Producer Hopes Sony and Marvel Deal Will Continue

It wasn't that long ago that Marvel Studios and Sony reached a deal regarding the rights to Spider-Man, essentially allowing the iconic hero to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony would still make his films, with the help of Marvel, but Spidey was free to play in the same universe as the Avengers. Now, just a couple of years later, everyone is already talking about the potential conclusion of that deal in the near future.

If the deal does expire in a couple of years, all of the Spider-Man rights would revert to Sony, leaving them without a Marvel partner anymore, and leaving the MCU without a Peter Parker. While there is some concern about that unfortunate event, the executives are actually hoping for the opposite.

During an interview with Vanity Fair about this weekend's release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony chief Amy Pascal was asked about the contract with Marvel and whether or not it could continue past the current agreement. Fortunately for all the fans, she wants it to last as long as possible.

"I think about crying," Pascal said of a potential Spidey break-up. "I can only hope for a future where things work out. I've known [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] since he was Avi [Arad]'s very, very quiet assistant, who for many years sat in that room listening to us and being so much smarter than any of us without any of us realizing. I will say that working with Marvel has been one of the highlights of my professional career."

If this deal stayed in place, the state of Spider-Man characters on the big screen would continue as they are now. The live-action Peter Parker, along with whatever other characters Sony agrees to let Marvel Studios use, will appear in the MCU. The rest of them, like Venom, Carnage, Morbius, and hundreds of others, will be free for Sony to use in their own universe of films. We saw the building blocks of this franchise in Venom.

Sony will also continue using the Spider-Man characters in an animated universe spun out of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film lays the groundwork for any and all characters from the Spidey mythos to appear at some point, it will just come down to when and where the studio feels like introducing them.

Do you think the Sony and Marvel partnership will continue into the future? Let us know in the comments!