Over the last few months, there’s been an awful lot of chatter about Marvel having conversations with Sony about finding a way to sneak their version of Spider-Man into their cinematic universe. For as long as Marvel Studios has been a thing, fans have clamored for the studio to “get back” all of its properties- which were scattered around at rival studios before Marvel got its act together. For some characters, like Daredevil and Ghost Rider, that happened. For others, like Spider-Man and The X-Men, it clearly hasn’t.

But this latest flare-up of rumors just won’t die. So how far have these talks gone? What was discussed? Well, thanks to Stan Lee and a couple of hackers, here’s the latest…

Moviepilot is reporting that Lee, Marvel’s iconic writer and mascot, has given the world an answer to the question of a crossover that reveals it’s far from a dead issue:

“It’s something that Marvel is very concerned about. It’s very difficult to get ’em all together because these characters are so successful and make so much money that the studios that have the rights to any of them don’t want to let them go. So that’s something that all the lawyers and all the production companies have to work out. Whether they’ll ever get it worked out, I don’t know.”

This answer heavily implies that there are active talks right now. It’s something that’s being actively looked at. He says Marvel is very concerned about it, not was, or that Marvel has moved on.

Then there’s the Wall Street Journal, which has published a report based on intel gleamed from hackers that worked their way into Sony chief Amy Pascal’s e-mail account. According to WSJ, the e-mails show that there have recently been extensive conversations between Sony and Marvel, specifically about getting Spider-Man into Captain America: Civil War. Another interesting topic discussed was the idea of Marvel producing a new Spidey trilogy, with Sony retaining “creative control, marketing, and distribution.”

As of now, it looks like those talks stalled. But if Lee’s answer is any indication, this is a hot-button issue that the studios involved have not given up on just yet.

I, for one, am optimistic that some sort of deal will eventually be made. More will be revealed next month after Sony puts its brain trust together to discuss all of their Spider-Man plans. One has to think that if those meetings don’t go well, they might go back to Marvel to reopen the negotiations.

SOURCE: Moviepilot / WSJ