'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Movie News: Michael Keaton's Talks with Sony and Marvel Fail, Actor Will No Longer Join the Movie
After it was reported that Michael Keaton was in the negotiating table with Marvel Studios and Sony for a possible villain role in Tom Holland's upcoming "Spider-Man: Homecoming," it is now confirmed that the talks did not prosper and Keaton is out of the picture.
According to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter, the negotiations did not go beyond the offer stage, hence, his anticipated switch to Marvel from DC will no longer happen.
Keaton played the titular role in the 1989 "Batman" of Tim Burton.
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Meanwhile, despite losing a former superhero actor in the cast, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" ushers in another superhero actor. This time, though, the character and the actor breathing life to him are no strangers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. According to a report of The Hollwyood Reporter, Downey Jr.'s inclusion in the movie was not part of his contract obligations with Marvel and only materialized after successful discussions at the negotiating table.
The link between Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Holland's Spider-Man is established in the upcoming "Captain America: Civil War," wherein the latter's superhero character takes the side of the former in the clash of the two teams of Marvel superheroes.
However, there are speculations that it is not only Downey Jr.'s Iron Man character who will be part of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" as it is believed that other Marvel superheroes may lend their presence in the movie, too, which marks the return of the web-slinging superhero character to Marvel via a solo film.
While it is true that Spider-Man was incarnated by Marvel, Sony has the movie rights to the character after the comic book publishing house sold it to Sony in the 1990s. Since Marvel put up its own movie studio, it hasn't reacquired its rights over the character yet.
With the recent big-screen incarnations of Spider-Man on the big screen failing to impress fans and critics alike, Sony finally arrived at a decision of partnering with Marvel Studios last year to bring back the lost luster of the character. With the move, Spider-Man can now be given the kind of magic Marvel has given its other superheroes in its Marvel Cinematic Universe, production and box-office wise.
