The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong since 2008, with no signs of slowing. On the other hand, Sony’s Marvel Universe was just getting started – but now it’s reportedly set to conclude with this year’s Sony release Kraven the Hunter.
The long-awaited spin-off revolving around the titular Spider-Man villain has been in development for years. In fact, work can be traced back to at least 2018. A lot has changed since then, however, and that includes Sony’s success by working alongside Marvel and their other productions including the animated Spider-Verse films.
According to The Wrap, this has reportedly influenced the studio’s decision to pause their universe following the release of Kraven the Hunter. Although the Venom trilogy performed quite well for the studio, their other attempts including Morbius and Madame Web have been less fruitful. It’s unclear how exactly Kraven the Hunter will follow.
As such, Sony is moving its focus toward Spider-Man himself, with projects like Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and the television series Spider-Noir becoming priorities for the studios. Likewise, work is already starting on Spider-Man 4, the next film to feature Tom Holland as the MCU’s Peter Parker.
This seems to be the case according to a top talent agent that reportedly shared the following with The Wrap:
“They’ve developed what they want to develop for now. It’s really about the next Spider-Man film.”
Another Sony insider discussed the outcome with the studio’s Marvel Universe projects:
“The biggest issue with the Sony Spider-Man spinoffs seems to be the lack of quality control. The movies just aren’t good,” another Sony insider explained. “Sometimes that lack of quality meets a movie no one asked for, which was the case with Madame Web, and that is a no-win scenario. It may be time for Sony to start cultivating different IP to launch new franchises.”
Obviously this should be taken with a grain of salt, at least until the release of Kraven the Hunter, but it certainly seems to be accurate. After all, Venom: The Last Dance wrapped up that particular trilogy, and it doesn’t look like sequels to Morbius or Madame Web are on the horizon. But there will certainly still be other Spider-Man projects on the way.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional Marvel Cinematic Universe news as we have it, including any updates regarding Sony’s Marvel Universe. There’s always the possibility that Sony decides to revisit this continuity again in the future, but one thing is for certain, they absolutely do have other projects that require the studio’s focus in the meantime.