According to Variety, Sony might be thinking about signing a new actor to play ‘Spider-Man’ in its own Spider-Man Universe, separate from the MCU.
“You could hire a different Spider-Man,” Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock tells Variety. “It doesn’t have to be Tom.” This decision will possibly provoke a negative reaction from fans.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has had its share of successes and struggles. Sony’s first ‘Spider-Man’ movie was 2002’s ‘Spider-Man,’ directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. This movie was a massive success. 2021’s ‘No Way Home’ was also highly popular, released in collaboration with Marvel.
This film made a significant impact with the return of Maguire and Andrew Garfield. However, ‘Madame Web,’ ‘Venom 3,’ and ‘Kraven the Hunte’r disappointed Sony Pictures. According to the Daily Mail, Sony reportedly blamed Dakota Johnson for ‘Madame Web’s poor reviews and box office results.
‘Kraven the Hunter’ had a record-low opening weekend, grossing between $11–$12 million. It is the latest film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Despite a cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe, Kraven couldn’t surpass ‘Moana 2’ and ‘Wicked’ at the box office. It now holds the worst opening in the franchise, falling below ‘Madame Web’s $15.3 million debut.
Given Sony’s ongoing failures in the Spider-Man Universe, this move could be a misstep.
