The web is getting increasingly more tangled as it relates to the situation with Sony, Spider-Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, it's come to light that Jon Watts, the man who helmed both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Homecoming, isn't signed on for Sony's planned Spider-Man 3, despite prior reports to the contrary. Watts has been a key piece of the puzzle and, given everything else that's going on, this could be a crucial factor with the next entry in the franchise.
Just to recap, yesterday reports surfaced that Sony, who controls the rights to the Spider-Man franchise, reached an impasse with Disney and Marvel Studios, who are in control of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The two studios reached a unique arrangement in 2015 that allowed for Spider-Man to appear in the MCU, that also saw Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige producing the solo installments for Sony. Unfortunately, the two sides couldn't come to terms on a new deal and they're now parting ways, which means Peter Parker can no longer be in the MCU and any future movies, such as Spider-Man 3, won't be able to include references to the MCU, or characters from that universe.
That brings us to this new bit of information. When the report first broke regarding the Sony/Marvel Studios split, it was reported that Jon Watts and Tom Holland were both attached for the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel, with plans for a fourth movie also in place. Now, that original report has been updated to state that Watts isn't signed on for the next movies and that he's being courted for other jobs. The report even hints that it could be future jobs within the MCU that might pull him away from the planned Spidey solo adventures at Sony. If that proves to be true, this would get exceedingly messy.
Tom Holland's version of the character has been widely embraced by critics and fans alike. To date, Holland's Spider-Man has appeared in two solo movies, as well as Captain America: Civil War, Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, all of which have found tremendous amounts of commercial success. While Marvel Studios has yet to officially respond, Sony released a statement that shifted the blame to Marvel's side. Reports have indicated that Disney wanted a 50/50 co-financing deal on future solo movies, which Sony wasn't eager to agree to.
In any event, things were already going to be tricky for Sony, having to figure out a path forward with this franchise, which can no longer have ties to the larger universe it's very heavily tied into. If the studio also has to find a new director who can come into this potentially ugly situation, and it's hard to imagine an A-list filmmaker that would want to, things could get even more complex. Let's just hope Disney and Sony do find a path forward so this can all be avoided. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any new details are made available. This news comes to us via Deadline.