Spider-Man ‘swings into Avengers films’

SONY studios web of Avengers looks set to include Spider-Man himself after Marvel struck a deal to unite the superheros.

FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2004, file photo, a man looks at an advertisement for the "Spider-Man" movie in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sony and Marvel/Disney announced a deal late Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, in which the next installment of Sony's $4 billion Spider-Man franchise will be co-produced by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige along with Sony's Amy Pascal for a July 28, 2017, release. But first, Spidey will appear in an unspecified Marvel film. (AP Photo/John McConnico, File)

SONY studios web of Avengers looks set to include Spider-Man himself after Marvel studios struck a deal to unite the superheros.

It is the news that comic book fans have been waiting for. The rights to the Spider-Man films is owned by Sony Pictures, while the rest of the Marvel superheros, including Thor, Iron Man and Captain America are owned by Disney.

Spider-Man is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $US4 billion worldwide.

The deal means Spider-Man will appear in one of Marvel’s upcoming movies next. That will most likely be Captain America: Civil War, which is set for release in the US on May 6, 2016.

The Avengers ... Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) will soon be joined by Spider-Man. Picture: Supplied

Sony Pictures will release a stand-alone Spider-Man film on July 28, 2017, and Marvel Studios, owned by Disney, will help produce it, meaning some of the Avengers may appear.

Recast ... Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield with a Spider-Man fan. The pair play Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy in the reboot but are unlikely to continue in the roles. Picture: Getty

A source with knowledge of the situation, however, has confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Andrew Garfield will not play Spider-Man in the new films.

The announcement reflects an astonishing amount of cooperation between what would seem like two corporate rivals. Disney has even pushed back almost all of Marvel Studios’ slate of upcoming films to make room for Sony Pictures’ next Spider-Man film, starting with Thor: Ragnarok, which will relocate from July 28, 2017 to Nov. 3, 2017. That, in turn, will bump Black Panther to July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel to Nov. 2, 2018, and Inhumans to July 12, 2019. The two Avengers: Infinity War movies, however, are still slated to open on May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019.