Sony officially removes its lastMarvelproject, suggesting thatSony’s Spider-Man Universehas ended. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe began in 2018 withVenomand continued with five more Marvel movies:Venom: Let There Be Carnage,Morbius,Madame Web,Venom: The Last Dance, andKraven the Hunter. Sony planned to expand this blooming franchise with at least two other projects:El Muertostarring Bad BunnyandHypno Hustlerstarring Donald Glover. However, these two movies seem like they have been canceled.
Sony Pictures has officially updated its domestic release calendar. Darren Aronofsky’sCaught Stealinghas been moved to August 19, 2025; Sony and Blumhouse’s untitledInsidiousproject has been delayed one full year, to July 29, 2025; andSony’s untitled Marvel film, which was originally slated for July 29, 2025, has been removed from the studio’s slate.Further details about Sony’s only remaining Marvel movie are still unknown.
What Sony Removing A Marvel Movie From Its Release Slate Means
Sony’s untitled Marvel movie was originally scheduled for a August 22, 2025 release, only six months after its cancelation was confirmed. This project’s cancelation was imminent, even beforeKraven the Hunter’s poor box office performanceunderlined the franchise’s unsatisfactory results. Sony’s canceled Marvel project had no cast, director, or writers officially attached, meaning that if it had continued its development, it would have had to be delayed at least one year. This movie probably wasn’tEl MuertoorHypno Hustler, as both of these projects were put on indefinite pause over a year ago.
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The future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is uncertain after several disappointments in 2024, but I’ve worked out how the franchise can redeem itself.
Other Sony projects in various stages of early development included aSilver Sableand aJackpotmovie, as well as aSilk: Spider Societyshow in collaboration with Amazon Studios. It’s safe to say that all of these projects seem like they have been canceled. However, Sony is still working on at least three Marvel projects, albeit none of them connected to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe:Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,the self-containedSpider-Noirshow starring Nicolas Cage, and the MCU’sSpider-Man 4. Sony will also continue to collaborate with Marvel Studios on Spider-Man’s MCU appearances.
Why Removing The Untitled Spider-Man Movie From Sony’s Release Slate Makes Sense
WhileVenom: The Last Dance sawsome more positive reception, the Venom movie series have essentially been the only films that have been a relative critical and box office success for the Sony Spider-Man Universe.MorbiusandMadame Webgained somewhat infamous reputations in their 2022 and 2024 releases respectively, and discussions ofKraven The Huntereven before it released suggested a lack of belief in the franchise’s releases among the general public - something arguably not helped byKravenbeing delayed for a considerable period of time.
As such, it’s likely that whatever the untitled movie project was would’ve not only had to try and do some major course-correction to get the franchise on the right track, it would’ve also had to try and navigate the jaded perspective prospective viewers have on the Sony Spider-Man Universe as well. Since the live-action Sony Spider-Man Universe movies that aren’t in the Venom series have all had a worldwide box office result of $162 million or less (as perThe Numbers), there doesn’t seem to be a lot of incentive to try this challenging undertaking, especially when a fresh start could bode better altogether.
Now the Venom trilogy has ended and the other installments in the series have proved somewhat fraught in terms of their viability for continuing the franchise, it stands to reason that removing a project seemingly so early in its development that a name hasn’t even been officially announced may be a practical move. Even if Sony intends to make future installments down the line, leaving time between the Sony Spider-Man Universe and new efforts seems a potentially fruitful decision, especially since this would allow forSpider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verseto build back some audience trust.
Our Take On Sony Removing A Marvel Movie From Its Release Slate
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Is Over
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe began to show its weaknesses afterVenom’s success.Morbiusfailed to gel with Marvel fans and general audiences alike, yetMadame Webfollowed a similar approach. The SSU’s box office displayed a considerable decline, and most critics underlined the franchise’s lack of groundbreaking stories.Unfortunately, Sony’s Marvel characters struggled to win people over despite their popularity in the source material and their respective actors' talent. AlthoughKraven the Hunterdidn’t deliver a weaker movie than previous installments, its box office results reflected the audiences' wariness about the franchise. Ending Sony’s Spider-Man Universe may be the wisest decision at this point.
