Spider-Man back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Sony, Disney reach a deal

Spider-Man is coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after a brief break-up due to contract negotiation issues.

The web-slinger's future was thrown into doubt in August when it was revealed negotiations between Sony and Disney, Marvel's owner, had stalled.

Sony confirmed at the time producer Kevin Feige, who has produced every film in the MCU, would step away from the series. Feige has now confirmed he's back in the picture after a new deal was reached.

"I am thrilled that Spidey's journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it," Feige said in a statement provided to Variety

"Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold."

Sony also released a statement on the development.

"We have had a great collaboration over the last four years, and our mutual desire to continue was equal to that of the many fans," said Robert Lawson, chief communications officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment told Variety. "We are delighted to be moving forward together."

Spider-Man star Tom Holland shared his reaction to the news on Instagram, posting a clip from movie The Wolf of Wall Street, where main character Jordan Belfort tells an assembled group he's not leaving, as they cheer.

Warning: the following clip contains foul language.

Sony bought the rights to make all Spider-Man films in 1998, provided it makes one at least every five years and nine months.

This prevented Marvel from being able to include Spidey in any of its wildly popular MCU films until it successfully brokered a revenue-sharing deal in 2015.

Sony had some success with Spider-Man films it made itself with directors Sam Raimi in the early 2000s and Marc Webb in the 2010s.

But Spider-Man's Marvel debut Spider-Man: Homecoming was the second most successful live-action Spider-Man film ever. The sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first Spider-Man film to cross the $1 billion mark with a box office gross of $1.31 billion. 

Sony's most recent Spider-Man film, the animated Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse, made $375.5 million and won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The untitled sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home is scheduled for release in July 2021.

Newshub.