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Spider-Man Out of Marvel Cinematic Universe After Disney-Sony Split

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  • After Disney and Sony could not reach a co-financing agreement on Spider-Man films, the character will be leaving the MCU.
  • This means Sony gets to make Spider-Man films exclusively, the character cannot cross into the MCU, which will be tricky as Tom Holland is still booked for two more films.
  • Fans are upset, with some calling a Sony boycott over the matter.

Marvel and Sony Fail to Reach Agreement

As Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and that has proven to be the case for the execs dealing with the tricky Spider-Man agreement between Disney and Sony. The powers that lie between the two companies failed to reach an agreement on co-financing the Spider-Man franchise, effectively kicking the beloved character out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

According to a Deadline report published Tuesday, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will no longer have a hand in producing Spider-Man films. Sony has owned the film rights to the web-slinger since 1999, allowing them to make Toby McGuire’s trilogy and the Andrew Garfield reboot. They have lent film use to Marvel since 2015. Their deal allowed Marvel to use Spider-Man in other MCU films while taking merchandise revenue and 5% of first-dollar gross. Sony fully financed the films and took the rest of the profits. 

Disney, however, was looking to strike a new deal. They offered to co-finance the film at a 50/50 split, meaning that both companies would spend and make equal parts on the films. Sony said no, and took Spider-Man with them. 

Sony tweeted a statement about the news, saying they were “disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision.”

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According to several reports, experts are not surprised the companies found themselves at a stalemate. Jeff Bock, a senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations told CNBC that Sony was “playing a little hardball right now.”

“And they have every right to do so, considering the deal Disney offered is a joke,” Bock added. “Maybe if we were discussing the rights for ‘Howard the Duck,’ 50/50 would be in play, but not for the web-slinger.”

The Future of Spider-Man

As for the future of Spider-Man, right now, it seems unclear. Sony now has the sole power to make films about the friendly neighborhood superhero, which is a massive win for them. They arguably need the franchise more than Disney, and Spider-Man: Far From Home recently became their highest-grossing film of all time.

Sony, however, is presented with one massive challenge. Spider-Man can no longer cross over into the MCU, which will be tricky, considering the Tom Holland era of the character is incredibly cemented in that world.

Holland is reportedly signed on for two more Spider-Man films, but most of the plots in his standalones are grounded in characters like Tony Stark, whom he is seen as the heir-apparent to after Avengers: Endgame. His last film, Far From Home, carries a lot of weight in the MCU, including an explanation of “the blip” and the fallout from Endgame. It also ended with massive cliffhangers pertaining to Mysterio and MCU-staple Nick Fury.

Fans React to News

Since this puts Spider-Man’s story in such an—ahem— sticky situation, many fans are not happy. #BoycottSony, #SaveSpidey, and #SpidermanFarFromtheMCU all trended on Twitter with fans expressing their frustrations over the situation. 

In addition to being mad at Sony for claiming sole rights to the hero, some were equally upset with Disney for not negotiating their deal. 

And fans are not alone in using social media in hopes of changing Spidey’s future. Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye in the Avengers films, took to Instagram as well. 

“We want Spider-Man back to @therealstanlee and @marvel please,” the actor said. 

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Ryan Reynolds also acknowledged the situation on Twitter, responding to a user who asked if a Deadpool and Spider-Man movie could be in the works. 

See what others are saying: (Deadline) (CNBC) (The Ringer)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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