Though Sony Pictures clearly set out to establish its own shared movie universe with the Spider-Man characters the studio holds the rights to, it seems recent underperformances from Marvel Studios projects and Warner Bros.' decision to relaunch a new DC film and TV universe may have led to a rethink.
Although both Venom movies and Morbius were supposed to be part of the same universe and included some ties to the MCU (Michael Keaton's appearance as Vulture in a post-credits scene, for example), Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter and the third Venom movie are reportedly being referred to internally and marketed as "standalone" projects.
“There may be some hesitation to emphasize the interconnectedness of these movies,” says Jeff Gomez, an executive transmedia producer at Starlight Runner who worked with Sony on Spider-Man: Homecoming. “They’ve talked about it before, and it didn’t work out.”
This doesn't mean the movies won't interconnect in any way, as it may simply indicate that Sony would rather downplay their ties to previously established cinematic universes.
“Madame Web, in the comics, tied together the multiverse for Spider-Man characters,” Gomez adds, somewhat contradictorily. “The purpose of doing that movie — I would think — would be to essentially set up a superhighway between universes.”
We should have a better idea of Sony's "SMU" plans once Madame Web swings into theaters next month, but one insider believes the studio is still building towards the long-rumoured Sinister Six movie, and wants to see Tom Hardy's Venom and Tom Holland's Spider-Man cross paths.
Despite the Venom films doing very well at the box office, Morbius was not at all successful, and the Madame Web trailer... well, let's just say the movie will need to be a lot better than it looks for the majority of fans to care what Sony Pictures has lined up one way or the other.
"'Meanwhile, in another universe...'" reads the official synopsis, "In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines." "The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures...if they can all survive a deadly present."
S.J. Clarkson, who also helmed Marvel’s Jessica Jones and The Defenders, directs from a script by Matt Sazama, Kerem Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Adam Merims executive produced.
Madame Web will swing into theaters on Feb. 14, 2024.