When Sony Pictures signed their deal with Marvel to gain the rights to Spider-Man, it included an added bonus. A new report brings the news that their deal with Marvel gives them access to roughly 900 Marvel characters in their library. Yes, that was 900. With their upcoming Venom and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse movies, Columbia Pictures wants fans to know: “We’re focused on being faithful to the comics,” Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch said.
The studio is calling their Spider-Man-centric films Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters (or, the SUMC). While an unofficial name used internally at the studio, it is thought that it best describes how they will proceed in the future. These plans were not without some revisions, however. Sony Pictures has intimated that they are cancelling plans for Silver & Black, the spinoff movie starring Black Cat and Silver Sable. It didn’t preclude the possibility of a solo picture for either character, with emphasis on Black Cat.
“We believe Black Cat is enough of her own character with a great backstory and a canon of material to draw from to justify her own film,” Panitch said.
Sony is also continuing to move forward on films based on Morbius the Living Vampire, and Kraven the Hunter, with future plans for characters Silk, Nightwatch, and Jackpot.
“Spider-Man connects to a lot of the characters,” Panitch said. “There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized, and utterly unique… We feel there’s no reason the Marvel characters shouldn’t be able to embrace diversity.”
With Sony Pictures investment in their part of the Marvel Universe, they still have hopes that they can work in some of their catalogue of characters with the MCU besides Spider-Man. In addition, they if all goes as planned with Venom, Spider-Man might make an appearance in a sequel.
Venom premieres in theaters on October 5th. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will hit theaters on December 14th. Does Sony’s immense library of Marvel Character’s give you hope to see some of the more less mainstream characters soon on screen? Share your thoughts on the “Sony Universe of Marvel Characters.”
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
