Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jon Watts, July 2, 2019) Movie • Page 57

It's so fucking cringeworthy how people literally go on social media of actors who happened to be in Marvel movies demanding them to bring back Spider-Man. Chris Evans and RDJ's comments on Twitter and Instagram are flooded. Wtf do they expect them to do?

 

Kevin Feige is a shrewd producer. When the deal was in progress, he had Civil War's creatives keep a spot open in the screenplay in case they got him. And, if you look back, you can see the hints that this deal wasn't guaranteed to continue. There is no way Marvel Studios would've put all their eggs in a basket they didn't own.

Plus, look at what they have coming up. Black Widow & Eternals in 2020. Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange 2, & Thor 4 in 2021. Then, in 2022 & beyond, there's Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Blade, Fantastic Four, maybe another Ant-Man, maybe another Avengers, maybe another Black Panther/Captain Marvel/Doctor Strange, maybe a couple more Shang-Chi, Fantastic Four, etc., X-Men, maybe Ms Marvel, maybe Wolverine, maybe Young Avengers... That's so much to keep them busy that pretty organically ends up separate from Spider-Man. Fantastic Four & maybe Avengers are the only places where it'd be fun to have him show up, & both of those are still fine either way, just like Civil War would've been fine either way.

Also, it's not like the next couple movies not being produced by Kevin Feige & Marvel Studios negates the potential for another short compromise down the road. Hugh Jackman almost had a cameo in a Raimi Spider-Man film, & there were conversations around the time of Amazing Spider-Man & the first Avengers about those crossing over. Because Feige refuses to use things that he didn't have a hand in (even other Disney properties like Marvel Television), he'd probably only use the characters/actors he built, but comic book writers lean into the casts & ideas they like best all the time. I can totally see a reality where we get a Spider-Man/Venom movie that doesn't directly address Iron Man but doesn't contradict those films, & then a few years later get a Spider-Man/Fantastic Four film that doesn't directly address Venom but doesn't contradict that film.

My question was more in the creative sense, so I don't wanna talk too much PR w/ this post, though I do feel like that social media backlash & built in bias is a surmountable challenge.

I don't know how you can say, "A lot of what was building or seen in the past 5 films will also have to abruptly change in the next film," when you also said, "That site fails to mention Feige literally said Peter would be his own and not be in Stark’s shadow in the next film. Every pro they mentioned would still most likely happen in a 3rd MCU Spidey film." If they really set up him being alone as much as I think they did, & as much as you seemingly think they did, then at least in the short term, nothing noteworthy has to change.

I don't buy that the suit would have to change a whole lot. Spider-Man has a pretty decent history of tech suits (as much as I don't like 'em as the main suit), from that silver 90s armor to the Dan Slott "Worldwide" suit. Heck, the "Iron Spider" we got in the films has as much in common w/ Ben Reilly Spider-Man & "Worldwide" as it does "Iron Spider," so they might even still be allowed to use that one still, or at least something very close to it. And if they do make very small tweaks, won't be that much different from the tweaks that happen between Batman films. Worst case scenario, they use the identity reveal as a story reason for him making a new suit that's still recognizable but also distinctly legally different enough to work.

 

Exclusive: Tom Holland opens up about Spider-Man's future in wake of Disney-Sony rift

Tom Holland: "Basically, we’ve made five great movies. It’s been five amazing years. I’ve had the time of my life. Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life. It’s going to be so fun, however we choose to do it. The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler."

Kevin Feige: "I’m feeling about Spider-Man gratitude and joy. We got to make five films within the MCU with Spider-Man: two standalone films and three with the Avengers. It was a dream that I never thought would happen. It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we’d be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I’ll always be thankful for that."

 

Definitely wise not to blame Sony in anyway if a deal is still trying to go through

 

Gotta keep that Uncharted gig. Tom Holland is such an in demand actor these days and will only elevate. Can't go bashing Sony/Disney on the matter. He obviously loves his role as Spider-Man

 

Not wise to blame Sony either way when they did nothing wrong in this particular case, lol. I mean, shame on them for not sharing the IP that gave them 6 of their 10 highest grossing films worldwide & 6 of their 10 highest domestically (especially when 2 worldwide & 1 domestically came from the James Bond rights they don't currently have)... w/ the Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, ESPN, Fox, Hulu, etc.-owning Disney?

But, if you don't get that yet, you're not going to.

Anyways, the specifics of the two comments are what interest me more than whatever diplomacy is surely happening right now. Tom Holland is definitely set to play Spider-Man again, which he was probably already signed on for, but now the dorks tweeting about another reboot have Tom's own words that he isn't done. And, Kevin Feige confirmed what I already argued, which is that they told the story they wanted to tell, knowing that it might end after Far From Home. So, while he's surely fronting to some extent, as he always is, he also definitely didn't have this grand plan that was ruined or whatever.

 

Seems weird to end a story with a huge cliffhanger, if this was indeed the end of the story.

 

I'm sure Kevin means the story of Spider-Man & Iron Man, not all stories of Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Especially since he would've known that Tom Holland's contract was longer than Marvel Studios' deal. The Peter/Tony story of Civil War, Homecoming, Infinity War, Endgame, & Far From Home is over.

 

Even if he did, it’s odd they would end a film on that note if they were thinking it may be the last film they have any hand in.

 

The cliffhanger sets up for a Spider-Man sequel instead of a setup for another MCU film like most of these films do, so it seems fitting to me. I'm sure Sony had a hand in that decision, anyways

 

Feige said in interviews after FFH released that they chose that end credit scene so they could deliver a story in the next spider-man they hasn’t been done before. I don’t buy them saying “we told the story we wanted to tell” at all. He also spoke about what the next film would be about. Everything Feige said after FFH contradicts his statement, but I understand why he has to say it for PR reasons.

 

No one is saying Kevin Feige did everything he ever could've wanted w/ Spider-Man & doesn't have anything in mind if he got another shot. No one is saying Marvel Studios walked away because they were over the character. That'd be ridiculous.

But, if you really believe that Feige is this brilliant storyteller w/ elaborate 10-yr plans (which I personally don't, but he's certainly at least shrewd & good at laying out paths), then you have to believe, when this initial deal was signed, he planned the films that were guaranteed as one set arc that could organically end at the end of the contract.

If you're a storyteller in this kinda comic book context, you're constantly looking to set up the future, sometimes even if you don't know if you're staying on the title. Sometimes, even if you do explicitly know you're not staying on. You know the character is going to continue beyond you, & you're gonna want to make sure he's in a place where more interesting stories can be told. And, since Tom Holland's contract extended beyond Marvel Studios' contract, plus the possibility (but far from certainty) that he could continue being in the mix, of course Kevin worked in that mindset, while also having the narrative ground laid for both his universe & Tom's films being fine after the characters stopped being able to interact.

 

I actually slightly enjoy this version of Peter Parker more knowing that it was a planned arc from Civil War to Far From Home and that his relationship with Tony was the story that Marvel Studios wanted to tell. It's a 5 part story that has a beginning (Tony recruiting Peter) and ending (Tony's death and Peter moving on).

 

except it wasn’t planned that way. at all lol.

 

So you think Kevin Feige & company put all their stock in a tenuous business deal that Amy Pascal often described as maybe never happening again (as much as she hoped it would)?

 

yeah man lol. they’re disney. one of the biggest studios, if not the biggest, in the history of movies. i think they generally operate assuming most things will go their way bc 99.999999% of things ever go their way.

 

Sony Reportedly Wants $10 Billion For Spider-Man Rights, Disney Won't Pay

Sony offered Disney the rights to Spider-Man for $10 billion but Disney turned it down.

 

Marvel and Disney knew when the contract would go out and each film with Spider-Man is a progression with his relationship to Tony.

Civil War - introduction/recruitment
Homecoming - father/son w/ Peter trying to impress Tony and Tony punishing him
Infinity War - finally becomes an Avenger and on the same level as his father figure
Endgame - Tony’s guilt over losing Peter and his sacrifice
Far From Home - Peter getting over Tony’s death and moving on while trying his best to learn from what Tony taught him

I feel like all 5 films showcase their relationship too perfectly for it to not have been planned. This Peter was always meant to admire Tony and that’s part of him developing his own identity in the end. It didn’t end half way but the arc had a beginning, progression, and end.

 

If true (which, We Got This Covered has a rough track record w/ rumors from what I recall, lol)... Disney bought Marvel in 2009 for about $4 billion (closer to $5 billion after inflation, I think?), & also paid $4 billion for Lucasfilm, so that'd be a wild price, lol. But, until Sony decides to get out of the film game altogether, they desperately need those rights, so for their purposes, makes sense.

I for one still don't want Disney expanding any more, & especially like a Marvel film property still being able to do different things. If the MCU continues to exist for another 10+ yrs in one way or another, another temporary arrangement in a decade for another big crossover (like a Secret Wars or whatever) would be neat. But, I don't want everything permanently under one roof.

 

I think the best thing to come from this is that Sony handles the solo films but Disney/Sony find a way to still let Peter cross over in event MCU films.

 

I do think that's reasonably likely, especially if Marvel doesn't overdo it w/ event film regularity (don't want "events" to become as business-as-usual as they are in the comics). Even if Marvel Studios only uses characters introduced in the couple Feige Spidey films, it'll be fine, not unlike how comics usually work.

 

I don't see why this would be a hard deal to work out at all, but then again I can also see Feige not wanting someone in his crossovers that he hasn't been guiding in solo films as well. Especially considering Sony's track record since 2004 with live action Spider-Man films. There would likely still have to be some kind of stipulations over what Sony can and can't do with the character, which they would of course be wise to follow because Feige knows what he's doing, but I don't know that they'd go for it.

 

Thinking about it, as much as I don't like how they've done MCU Spidey (I legit think, after Far From Home, this is my least favorite cinematic Spidey on a storytelling level, in spite of Tom Holland having the potential to be a perfect Peter)...

Something they've done well is have a clear, distinct hook for each Tom Spidey film. So far, we've had:

• What is a Spider-Man in the MCU, connected to Iron Man, gonna be like?
• How is Peter going to react to Tony's death?
• How is Peter going to react to Jonah/Mysterio outing him?

So, more than any overt MCU connections, I think the best way for Sony to keep people interested in the long term (outside of preserving Tom Holland for as long as possible) is to keep creating new hooks. Which, honestly, there are so many that they could do. Some that I've thought of that could happen:

• How will Spider-Man react to the current cinematic Venom/Eddie?
• How will adding a live action Miles Morales affect this Spidey?
• What if Mysterio came back & led a Sinister Six?
• What if Spider-Man 2099 showed up?
• Superior Spider-Man?
• Peter & MJ getting married?
• Spider-Verse, complete w/ Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, & why not, John Mulaney Spider-Ham?
• Clones, 'cause why the heck not?
• Parker Industries/Worldwide?
• Peter & MJ have a kid?
• Death of Peter Parker?

 

Sony Says "Door Is Closed" on Spider-Man in the MCU

 

Sort of buried in the story. Sony is developing TV shows in Spider-Man world.

Sony Pictures Chief on Spider-Man Split: ‘For the Moment the Door is Closed’