How does one create a Spiderverse without a Spider-Man? Sony’s trying it, but with Silver & Black now without a release date, it looks like trouble.
For quite some time, superhero films based on Marvel Comics properties have seemed like wise bets. More accurately, Marvel Studios doing its own properties seem like wise bets. (Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War each grossed over $1 billion despite coming out within about two months of each other. Case closed.) But it seems as though things are not so sunny over at Sony.
As reported by Collider and ultimately Exhibitor Relations, Silver & Black doesn’t even have a release date anymore.
Exhibitor Relations pretty much sums it up by saying that it’s the “worst date possible,” adding in a separate tweet that Tom Hanks’ Greyhound has moved into the slot Silver & Black occupied, which Deadline confirmed yesterday.
Collider points out that of the two movies we know about from Sony, Silver & Black looked like the better one with Gina Prince-Bythewood directing. (If you have doubts about her superhero chops, just watch Cloak & Dagger‘s premiere next week).
Collider speculates that issues with Venom or delays on the project might have spooked Sony. What also could be of interest is the ongoing saga with Disney, Fox, and Comcast. After all, should Disney succeed in purchasing a huge amount of Fox’s assets, the big Marvel assets that would still be out in the wild are with Sony.
Even though Sony has a contract with regards to Spider-Man (which Collider details in its own roundup), it might want to see what ends up happening with Disney — before moving forward on leveraging its current assets in a movie that doesn’t seem to be on schedule right now anyway. Prince-Bythewood’s busy executive producing Cloak & Dagger, too. And since the show has positive buzz, she might be particularly busy.
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In its own report, though, linked above, Deadline seems to think that things could definitely be worse for Silver & Black — in that the project is still an “important one.” Collider asks for “clarity” at the end of its report.
Honestly, we’d just like to make sure that we get our Prince-Bythewood superhero flick any way we can get it.