Sony Pictures is preparing to take another swing at its live-action Spider-Man universe. In a recent appearance on The Town podcast with Matthew Belloni, Sony CEO Tom Rothman confirmed that the studio plans to reboot its interconnected Marvel universe built around Spider-Man characters.
When asked directly, “Where are we in the Spider-Man franchise? Not the animated Spider-Verse. Is the larger Spider-Verse dead?” Rothman responded simply, “No.” Pressed further on whether Sony would revisit those characters, he answered, “Yes.”
He also confirmed that the next version would be a “fresh reboot” with “new people,” signalling a clean slate for the studio’s superhero plans. Rothman also addressed the broader superhero landscape, particularly the recent box-office slowdown for comic book films.
“To your question about Spider-Man: Scarcity has value,” Rothman opined. “You’ve got to make the audience miss you. It’s the old thing. I always had trouble getting girls to go out with me twice, but until fortunately, my wife took pity on me, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
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Sony has controlled the theatrical rights to Spider-Man since 1999. The studio launched Sam Raimi’s blockbuster trilogy starring Tobey Maguire in the 2000s, followed by two reboot films with Andrew Garfield in the early 2010s. In 2017, Sony partnered with Marvel Studios to integrate Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Spider-Man: Homecoming starring Tom Holland.
Alongside Holland’s films, Sony built its own universe centred on Spider-Man-adjacent characters. Since 2018, it has released six live-action titles: Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter. None featured Spider-Man himself, and all received negative critical responses, failing to earn a single “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Notably, Sony released three Marvel films in 2024 alone, outpacing both DC and Marvel Studios that year. Despite Rothman’s comments about scarcity, the crowded release schedule may have contributed to diminishing returns. While Rothman did not outline specifics, the reboot likely means audiences will not see Tom Hardy’s Venom, Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web, Jared Leto’s Morbius, or Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven in future instalments.
Up next, Sony will release Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, with Holland returning as Peter Parker. The film will feature Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and is set to hit theatres on July 31. Sony is also developing Spider-Noir, a live-action series starring Nicolas Cage set in an alternate 1930s New York City.
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