Spider-Man's place in Marvel universe at risk amid 'Sony-Disney dispute'

A dispute between Walt Disney and Sony Pictures reportedly threatens to end their co-production of “Spider-Man” films, putting the future of one of Marvel’s most beloved characters up in the air.

In the wake of the announcement that "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports have surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership.

The Hollywood trade Deadline reported on Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. Disney has been requesting a 50% share of profits in the films going forward. Sony wanted to keep the current arrangement, in which Disney gets a 5% share of box-office revenue, according to the website.

Negotiations were not yet final, a person close to the deal told AP.

In a statement, Sony said media reports about the dispute “mischaracterised” the discussions, but it acknowledged that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige wouldn’t be lead producer on its next live-action Spider-Man film.

“We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision,” Sony said in an emailed statement. “Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue.”

The suggestion that Feige wouldn't produce future live-action "Spider-Man" movies and that the character itself might not appear in any more Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films quickly set social media alight, including a plea from Avengers actor Jeremy Renner.

Sony cast the decision as a matter of Feige being busy with Disney’s now-enlarged Marvel empire. With the acquisition of Fox intellectual property earlier this year, the entertainment giant gained a trove of new comic-book characters, including the X-Men, that Feige may eventually weave into the MCU.

“We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him - including all their newly added Marvel properties - do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own,” Sony said.

Sony has held the rights to the Marvel character since 1985, but in 2015, announced a partnership with Disney and Marvel that would allow Spider-Man to be used in MCU films like "Avengers: Endgame."

It also allowed for Feige to serve as a producer on stand-alone "Spider-Man" movies like "Far From Home."

The crossovers have been well-received by audiences and critics. The first feature in their collaboration, 2017’s “Homecoming,” captured $880 million in ticket sales worldwide, the best performance of the franchise up until then. The follow-up, this year’s “Far From Home,” grossed $1.1 billion, a record for the series and for Sony.

And the teenage web-slinger has been made into a central component in the MCU - which has generated more than $22.5 billion globally - with a close relationship to Tony Stark that drove the story lines in both "Endgame" and "Far From Home." But as Marvel enters its "Phase 4," Spider-Man also has no official MCU appearances planned.

Two standalone "Spider-Man" movies are, however, reportedly in the works from Sony which would bring back director Jon Watts and star Tom Holland.

Sony has also created its own web of Spider-Man spinoffs, including the Oscar-winning animated feature "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," and "Venom."