And it was all chugging along so nicely. Just when Sony and Disney were celebrating the billion-dollar-plus success of their latest joint endeavor, Spider-Man: Far From Home, along comes some financial rain to wash it all out.
Okay, so perhaps it's not quite so drastic, but Disney and Sony have failed to come to financial terms on future outings of the web-slinger, which will have ramifications for future films.
Primarily, it means that Marvel boss Kevin Feige will no longer have any producing impact on the Spider-Man movies produced by Sony, and it also probably means that Peter Parker - Tom Holland - will disappear from the MCU.
The problem breaks down thus: Sony and Disney had a finance, profit participation and producing deal to share Spidey, which meant Disney/Marvel helped make and promote the Sony Spider-films, but only received a certain share of the film's direct profits (though the Mouse House retained the merchandising rights).
Disney asked for a bigger share going forward and Sony's team, confident they can keep going with their own Spider-universe (including Venom, Morbius and the other spin-offs they have in the works alongside future Holland films, decided to reject the proposal).
9 films to look forward to in 2019 slider with cover pic
1 of 10Swipe through to see which films you can look forward to in 2019...
2 of 10Toy Story 4
There were no dry eyes in the house at the end of Toy Story 3 - and whilst many were happy with how the trilogy finished, the new trailer has made fans realise that perhaps they do need another film in the series after all. Toy Story 4 will be released in the UK on 21st June 2019.
3 of 10Avengers: Endgame
The second part to the finale of the Avengers film series will be released next year. Following on from Infinity War where half the population of the world has been wiped out by Thanos - including a LOT of our favourite Avengers - how on earth will our heroes conquer the evil genius? Avengers: Endgame will be released in UK cinemas on 26th April 2019.
4 of 10Star Wars: Episode IX
There's also another major finale to a trilogy coming out next year in the form of Star Wars: Episode IX. After Rey was able to harness the Force, fans have been left wondering if they'll ever discover her true parentage - or whether she really is a nobody, as Kylo Ren said. It will be released on 20th December 2019.
5 of 10Dumbo
Disney are not holding back with their plans to give most of their old classic films the live-action treatment after the success of films like The Jungle Book, and Dumbo is now in the works. The trailer on its own had viewers weeping, so it's most likely to be a huge tear-jerker when it's released in the UK on 29th March 2019.
6 of 10The Lion King
Another Disney classic to be given a live-action makeover next year is The Lion King. Fans of the original were dubious over whether anything could compare to the 1994 animated film, but the star-studded voice cast has managed to turn people around. The Lion King will be released in the UK on 19th July 2019.
7 of 10It: Chapter 2
The sequel to the incredibly successful 2017 remake of It will be released next year, following the lives of the children after they've grown up. Although the child cast will still star, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader will take on the roles for the sequel. It: Chapter 2 will be released in the UK on 6th September 2019.
8 of 10Aladdin
2019 is going to be a huge year for the Disney live-action remakes, as Aladdin is also set to be released. Directed by Guy Ritchie, fans of the original cannot wait to see Will Smith's take on the Genie after it was originated by the late, great Robin Williams. Aladdin will be released in the UK on 24th May 2019.
9 of 10Men In Black: International
Men In Black: International will take the focus away from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, and instead reunite Thor actors Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Also starring Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson, the sequel will be released in the UK on 14th June 2019.
10 of 10Frozen 2
The first Frozen film was one of the most popular children's films of the decade, so it's no surprise that a sequel has been in the works since its release in 2013. Bringing back Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel as sisters Anna and Elsa, Frozen 2 will be released in the UK on 22nd November 2019.
Given the huge success of the last two Spidey movies in particular, this feels like a mistake on both sides, but then, the MCU is a behemoth that has functioned without Spider-Man and Sony has proved it can make good movies without the Marvel team with Into The Spider-Verse.
For the sheer sake of seeing Peter interact with future MCU types, we hope it gets resolved (and someone letting it slip to Deadline sounds like trying to force the companies back to the table), but for now, this is where they stand.
This article originally appeared on Empire Online.
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