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The moment I heard the words ‘Spiderman,’ ‘Sony,’ ‘MARVEL’ and ‘rights,’ my hopes were lifted for a slight moment. We all know Spiderman, it’s one of the best superhero-based comic book franchises out there. Originally a MARVEL comic, the rights belong to Sony. Word has been going around that Sony might sell the rights back to MARVEL, letting them make a great reboot to bring the franchise back to its former glory…well, there’s a correct and incorrect part in the buzz going around.
First, let’s talk about Spiderman a bit. Peter Parker, student, has ‘spidey-senses,’ fights crime and that’s basically all I need to say because everyone knows Spiderman. Spiderman is that one superhero that was always among the top favorite characters, comic and movie series. He’s personally, my favorite superhero from MARVEL (although Iron Man is pretty up there in that group of favorites. Who doesn’t love Robert Downey Jr.?) However, with the latest reboot of the series, ‘The Amazing Spiderman,’ not giving as much as Sony expected it would, it has been announced that the third film will not be made.
Being a fan of the franchise, I can say that the reboot was somewhat disappointing. The plot of the introductory movie was changed too much, the graphics of the first movie were ‘cringe-worthy’ and just the smallest details threw me off. I think it’s safe to say that everyone prefers the Toby Maguire series compared to the Andrew Garfield starring reboot. Don’t ask me why, I’m a bigger fan of the first series than the reboot and so is almost everyone else I know.
So what do they do? They let MARVEL step in to save the day. No, Sony is not sending Spidey back to live with MARVEL; they’re simply letting him sleepover. When you think about it, it’s an incredibly smart move. As it has been observed, MARVEL has been at the top of movie productions for the past few years and is most likely going to continue on top with all the movie releases and productions they have announced for the next five years already. Sony, trying to save the $4 billion franchise, Spiderman, is leasing the rights to MARVEL, allowing them to make a one-film series project with the superhero. Spidey will be among his creators, even if for just one film.
The MARVEL and Sony project is meant to hit theaters in 2017, one year before the third ‘Amazing Spiderman’ film was meant to be released. Sony, still owning the rights, is hoping to get a much wider audience for the superhero, increasing the value of the franchise with a younger Peter Parker and they have also stated that they will have high control over the plot of the film, casting and advertising of the stand-alone film. I, who heard the news from my older brother, who is also a huge Spidey fan, am very excited to see a new, probably better, reboot of my favorite superhero. Sony, a word of advice, let MARVEL do their thing.
