In a rare bit of Hollywood cooperation between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, both studios reached an agreement that will allow them to share–and benefit from–Spider-Man appearing on the big screen. But while Marvel has Tom Holland cast as Peter Parker, who made his introduction in Captain America: Civil War and will be leading Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony still owns the cinematic portrayals of the web-crawler and something on the order of 900 Marvel characters. It goes without saying that they’d like to capitalize on that intellectual property.

We’re already seeing this happen. Fox example, the recent story that Sony has hired screenwriter Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) to write the script for Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Silver Sable, building on a previous version of the script Lisa Joy (Westworld); Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal will produce the film previously known as the “secret female spin-off project.” However, there’s also the previously announced Venom standalone film and its recently confirmed release date of October 5, 2018. Scripted by Dante Harper (Alien: Covenant) and produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, we’re hearing that Sony is developing Venom not only as the film to launch their own Marvel Universe, but as an R-rated effort.

Keep in mind that this is the plan we’re hearing about at the moment and that things could still change between now and late 2018—especially once a director signs on and has his or her own vision—but it’s certainly an interesting approach to building Sony’s Marvel Universe. Andrew Garfield‘s take on Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man films was fine, but apparently not a direction the studio wanted to continue pursuing, despite tallying nearly $1.5 billion from just two films. Instead, the newly retooled Sony’s Marvel Universe will launch with an R-rated Venom that is expected to keep its budget modest. It sounds like Sony’s taking notes on the successes of both the MCU and 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool and Logan, and applying them to their own substantial stable of superheroes and supervillains.

Let’s be clear: Sony’s Marvel Universe will not be connected to the MCU in any way (sorry, Guardians of the Galaxy fans, but a Venom crossover is highly dubious) and the planned Venom and Black Cat and Silver Sable films are all part of Sony’s own shared universe, not spin-offs of any existing films. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has nothing to do with these films; it’s Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group, who’s calling the shots. The announcement of Venom‘s release date tells us that the execs are happy with the script and the new direction they’re embarking on, but with no director set for either film, obviously things can still change since all of the announced films are still in development.

What I really want to hear more about is Venom‘s tone and story. An R-rating allows for a lot of room for creativity, but just how are they going to bring the alien symbiote into the story? (And, no, Life is not a Venom prequel.) I’m not sure how Venom is going to be introduced without Spider-Man acting as its first known host, unless Sony’s either going off-book with the introduction or will mention this origin story of sorts in a passing manner. What I can see is Venom being a really interesting horror film in which the alien symbiote is a parasitic entity driving its hosts insane, or even more interesting, a revenge tale in which its host uses the powers and abilities granted to him (or her) to exact vengeance, similar to the plot of Death Note. And who will it focus on, Eddie Brock, Mac Gargan, Ann Weying, or maybe even just Peter Parker? (Probably not Deadpool…) In other words, I don’t know how Sony will pull off a supervillain-focused film, but I’m very interested in seeing what they come up with.

Spider-Man is in Avengers 4 … and Marvel has no involvement in the Spidey spinoffs.

Marvel's landmark deal with Sony has allowed the wall-crawler to enter the MCU, and Feige confirmed Spider-Man will appear in 2019's untitled Avengers 4. That’s after his starring turn in Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. After the second Avengers appearance, it will be back for a Homecoming sequel, set for 2019.

“That’s as far as it goes for now,” Feige said. (For now? Hmm.)

Sony is moving ahead with Spidey spin-offs for Venom and a Silver Sable, Black Cat teamup movie, but Marvel isn't involved.

"We had a very particular plan about Spidey himself," Feige explained when asked why Marvel wasn't involved in Sony's projects with those characters, although he kept those plans to himself.

Feige has no plans for an R-rated movie.

Don’t look for an R rated Marvel movie in wake of success of such bloody and potty-mouthed movies such as Logan and Deadpool any time soon.

“My takeaway from both of those films is not the R rating, it’s the risk they took, the chances they took, the creative boundaries that they pushed,” Feige explained. “That should be the takeaway for everyone.”

While the R-rating is an easy-identifiable trait of those movies, Feige cited the breaking of the fourth wall in Deadpool and the finality of the Wolverine story as examples of what made those movies stand out.

Sony Confirms Spider-Man Spinoffs Will Tie To MCU

| June 18, 2017
Ever since Spider-Man made the jump to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in last year's Captain America: Civil War, fans wondered which characters from the expansive Spider-verse would follow suit.

Those hopes were slightly dashed with the announcement that Sony's two planned Spider-Man spinoffs, Venom and Silver & Black, would establish their own universe separate from the MCU.

But now, that appears to not be the case.

While being interviewed by FilmStarts for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sony's Amy Pascal revealed that Sony's Marvel Universe of films will, in fact, exist in the same universe as the MCU.

"Both movies will now take place in the world that we are creating for Peter Parker." Pascal explained. "They'll be adjuncts to it, they may be different locations, but it will still all be in the same world. And they will be connected to each other as well."

When asked if that meant that Peter Parker himself, Tom Holland, would appear in Sony's spinoff films, Pascal offered a pretty optimistic tease.

"There's always a chance. I think one of the things that Kevin has done with Marvel that's so brilliant, is bringing the fans along, and making each movie feel like a chapter in a book. That you have to read that chapter in order to go forward. And I think the investment that fans get to feel in being part of a larger story and understanding what's happening, is something that I know Sony would want to emulate."

This news comes after recent pre-production updates about both Venom and Silver & Black, suggesting that an extended Spider-Verse isn't that far away. Venom - which is slated for a 2018 release - will be directed by Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer, and will star Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock.

Silver & Black, which will follow the female villains Silver Sable and Black Cat, recently found a director in Gina Prince-Blythewood, who directed the pilot of Marvel's Cloak & Dagger.

This confirmation that the films are connected is sure to surprise fans, especially after Marvel Studios exec Kevin Feige's recent statements seemed to directly counteract this idea. But nevertheless, it's sure to excite those who have been eagerly anticipating an extended live-action Spider-Verse.