- Jeremy Renner reacted to reports on Tuesday that Spider-Man could leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a deal with Sony and Marvel fell through.
- The actor shared an image of his MCU character, Hawkeye, and wrote: “Hey @sonypictures we want Spider-Man back to @therealstanlee and @marvel please, thank you #congrats #spidermanrocks #🏹 #please.”
- Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man first appeared in “Captain America: Civil War.” The actor most recently starred as the character in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
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Jeremy Renner weighed in on reports that Spider-Man could leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a deal with Sony and Marvel fell through.
Renner, known for his role as Hawkeye/Clint Barton in the MCU, reacted to the news on Instagram by sharing a photo of his character in “Avengers: Endgame” in Vormir, after Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice so that he could obtain the Soul Stone.
“Hey @sonypictures we want Spider-Man back to @therealstanlee and @marvel please, thank you #congrats #spidermanrocks #🏹 #please,” Renner wrote.
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Sony has owned the rights to the webslinger character, developed by the comic-book creator Stan Lee, since 1999.
Deadline reported on Tuesday that Sony and Disney were unable to reach a financial agreement regarding Spider-Man. Disney reportedly asked for 50/50 cofinancing, which Sony turned down. As a result, the Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, won't produce any future "Spider-Man" films and Tom Holland's webslinger won't be able to appear in the MCU.
On Tuesday, Sony clarified the situation in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, which was later posted on the studio's Twitter account.
"Much of today's news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige's involvement in the franchise," Sony said. "We are disappointed, but respect Disney's decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film.
"We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him - including all their newly added Marvel properties - do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own. Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue."
Holland's version of the superhero was introduced in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," made possible by a deal Sony and Marvel reached in 2015. The past "Spider-Man" franchises, which starred Tobey Maguire and then Andrew Garfield, were led solely by Sony, without input from Marvel/Disney.
With Sony still owning and distributing 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and its sequel, "Spider-Man: Far From Home," the character could still be part of the MCU in the latest reboot.
In 2019, Holland starred in "Avengers: Endgame" and "Far From Home." Both movies hit $1 billion at the box office, and "Far From Home" became Sony's highest-grossing movie.
Holland previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he signed on for three Spider-Man appearances in other films ("Civil War," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Endgame") and three standalone movies. Considering that "Far From Home" directly followed the events of "Endgame" and concluded with a cliffhanger, it's unclear how the franchise will proceed.