Good News, Tom Holland Fans: Sony Reportedly Plans to Sell Spider-Man Rights Back to Marvel

British actor Tom Holland gained worldwide recognition when he started portraying the character of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor became the youngest actor to play a title role in the MCU when he starred in his character’s standalone film series, starting with Spider-Man: Homecoming. Holland is one of the most influential and beloved actors in the industry currently.

Fans have always loved the fact that Tom Holland deeply cares about how he portrays Spider-Man on-screen. Even though the young actor respects and looks up to his predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield when it comes to playing Spider-Man on-screen, he adds a little bit of his charm to it as well. As fans wait for the fourth installment of the Spider-Man movie, a recent news post about Kraven the Hunter’s release can rejoice the fans.

Is Sony Pictures considering selling Spider-Man rights back to Marvel Studios?

According to reports by ScreenGeek, following the failure of Kraven the Hunter starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sony Pictures is considering selling the rights of Spider-Man back to Marvel Studios. One of the reasons why Sony Pictures is even considering this is because they have been involved in other Spider-Man spin-offs, including the Venom trilogy, Morbius, and Madame Web.

Apart from the Venom trilogy, the response to other Spider-Man spin-offs has largely been negative, with fans clearly stating that they do not want any more spin-off movies. They especially mentioned that Spider-Man movies without Spider-Man do not make sense to them.

Sony Pictures’ recent release Kraven the Hunter has recorded one of the lowest weekend openings for a Marvel character, and thus the studios are reportedly considering selling the rights back to Marvel Studios.

Sony Pictures acquired the rights to Spider-Man long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was established, but over the last decade, the two have been collaborating to make Spider-Man part of the MCU. Tom Holland plays Spider-Man in the MCU.

The studios at the same time decided to create Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, but it has not received a positive response. Kraven the Hunter was reportedly the fifth and last installment in SSU.

Industry insider @MyTimeToShineH also seemingly confirmed the news that Sony Pictures is indeed considering making a deal. However, nothing has been announced to confirm that the deal’s happening, but if they do go through with it, Marvel Studios would have much more freedom with the character and villains and heroes associated with the character.

Reports suggest Zendaya’s presence in Tom Holland starrer Spider-Man 4 to be minimal

According to reports by The Direct, Zendaya, who plays MJ, Peter Parker’s love interest in the Spider-Man movies, is expected to appear in the fourth installment but in a minimal capacity.

Industry insider Jeff Sneider shared that the actress will surely return as MJ, but her role would be severely reduced, and now her role has been categorized under ‘minor’ roles. It’s due to the actress’ conflicting schedules, who will be filming Euphoria season 3 from February to July 2025 while Spider-Man is expected to start filming from June to October.

Zendaya is also going to be busy with Dune: Messiah, which is scheduled for filming from September to January. The actress is one of the top actresses in the industry, and all directors willing to work with her are no longer a surprise. Tom Holland, upon his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, confirmed that the fourth Spider-Man movie will soon begin production in mid-2025. (via Variety)

Tom Holland also spoke on the Rich Roll Podcast, mentioning that he and Zendaya have read a draft of the script, and although it needs work, he went on to praise the writers, stating that they are doing a fantastic job. He shared,

One of the things is that, with Marvel, your film is a small cog in a large machine. That machine has got to keep running. You have to make sure you can fit into that timeline at the right time to benefit the bigger picture.

The actor clarified that it’s one of the challenges they are facing, but they are working hard and know that it’s achievable. Fans are eagerly waiting for Spider-Man 4.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies are available to stream on Disney+ and Starz. Spider-Man 4 is expected to release in July 2026.