SSU Not Dead Yet: Insiders Call for New Spider-Man Casting and Strategic Character Selection Despite Option to Use Holland in Non-MCU Films

Despite a less-than-stellar opening for ‘Kraven the Hunter’ and a series of underperforming spin-offs, Sony’s commitment to its Marvel films isn’t waning just yet.

According to Variety, ‘Kraven,’ starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his impressive physique, features a significant nod to Spider-Man, marking the closest encounter between the characters in recent Sony adaptations.

This pattern is evident in the studio’s other Marvel releases like ‘Morbius’ and ‘Madame Web,’ which have also struggled at the box office.

Sony has never fully embraced a unified narrative for its Marvel characters, unlike the tightly interwoven stories of the MCU or the revamped DC Universe. This scattered approach may be contributing to the lackluster performance of its films.

Nevertheless, Sony has seen considerable success with its ‘Venom’ series, headlined by Tom Hardy, which has amassed over $1.8 billion globally.

Even the latest installment, which garnered the lowest earnings in the series, still turned a profit due to its modest budget, affirming that ‘Venom’ remains a profitable venture for the studio.

The collaboration with Marvel Studios, beginning with 2016’s ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ has proved highly lucrative for Sony, with the Tom Holland Spider-Man films alone bringing in over $3.9 billion worldwide.

However, this partnership restricts Sony’s use of Spider-Man in their standalone projects, possibly affecting the success of other character-centric films.

Sony insiders and industry analysts suggest the studio may need to select its character features more wisely or perhaps introduce a new Spider-Man.

Despite the recent setbacks, Sony appears determined to keep Spider-Man and his extended universe in active development, with projects like the ‘Spider-Man Noir’ series starring Nicolas Cage already underway.

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