Spider-Man Joins Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe just go a little bit bigger.

Marvel and Sony announced in a press release Monday night that Spider-Man would first appear in an upcoming Marvel film and then in a stand alone Spider-Man film co-produced by both studios set for a July 28, 2017 release date.

The stand alone film will be produced by Marvel’s Kevin Feige and former Sony co-chair Amy Pascal who recently stepped down from the position and transferred to a new role with the company after Sony suffered several hacks during the lead up to The Interview’s release.

The announcement will resonate with fans of Marvel and the $4 Billion Spider-Man franchise as Spidey is an integral character to the Civil War story line in the Marvel Comics which is being adapted in to the Captain America: Civil War film. Before this deal it was apparent that the story revolving around Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man would be altered to not include Peter Parker but, with principal photography not set to begin until April 2015, that could all change with some possible rewrites of the film and re-casting of Spider-Man who will not be played by Andrew Garfield.

Captain America: Civil War will see The Avengers cast members Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans reprise their roles as Iron Man and Captain America with newcomer Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up, 42) set to debut as Black Panther. The film is set for release on May 6, 2016.

You can read the Marvel/Sony press release here.