Comic book film fans were devastated in August when a standoff between Sony and Disney threatened the MCU as we know it. When a deal was eventually reached, the 23-year-old actor got credit report for keeping Spider-Man in the MCU. during a recent sit-down with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, we learned how he did it. Tom Holland saved Spider-Man by getting drunk and taking a call from Disney CEO Bob Iger. many people might feel intimidated talking to the CEO of a major media company while three sheets to the wind, but Holland felt a different emotion.
During the press trip for his memoir, Bob Iger revealed that during his initial call with the young actor, he cried. When Kimmel asked if this was true, Holland at first denied it. Then, with outstanding comedic timing, he admitted he did. However, anybody who has had a few too numerous knows that booze can bring your emotions to the surface. That heartfelt passion likely inspired the executives at Sony and Disney to work out a deal that benefitted them both.
Holland did say that despite his sorrow at possibly leaving the MCU, the future of Spidey at Sony was “bright.” Still, he admitted that he feels that Spider-Man belongs in the MCU. Here’s how it all went down.
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How Tom Holland saved Spider-Man by getting Drunk with His Family
The news about the deal falling through broke during the week of the D23 fan Expo. Holland was there to promote an entirely different Disney film. But, as he told Kimmel, the news “devastated” him. He described seeing all of his “Marvel friends” taking promotional pictures. because of the deal falling through, it turns out he was excluded from them. So, thinking quickly, Holland asked if he could get Bob Iger’s email address.
Holland wrote a message of thanks. “I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you…. This has been an outstanding five years of my life. thank you for changing my life in the best way, and I hope that we can work together in the future.’” Iger replied practically immediately, asking if they could speak on the phone. Holland said “you don’t give Bob Iger a schedule,” so he just told him to call him at his convenience. Well, when he did call, the young actor was at a bar trivia night with his family. He’d not eaten much and drank three pints, but he took the call anyway.
After he broke down with emotion, Iger reportedly told him that things were not over yet. Tom Holland saved Spider-Man by getting drunk, because if he’d been sober he probably wouldn’t have been so emotional.
Will the Sony and Disney partnership Last?
Sure, Tom Holland saved Spider-Man by getting drunk and encouraging executives to work out a deal. However, the deal they worked out is not exactly a long-term one. Spider-Man will get his third marvel Studios-produced solo film, and the character will appear in one much more MCU movie. Disney and Sony will split the costs and profits of the solo film 25/75. It also seems like Sony will be able to put Holland’s Spider-Man into their Spider-Verse, implying he could show up with Venom, Morbius, or in animated form. but what will happen after those next movies?
To paraphrase Bob Iger, there is a world where this partnership continues indefinitely. Holland loves playing the character and, because he’s so young, he could play it for years to come. If Sony and Disney are able to work out profit-sharing and financing costs, Spider-Man could become a permanent fixture in the MCU films. However, with Marvel’s roster of characters so deep and Sony working on its own shared universe, they might separate for a time. Either possibility remains likely, and it all depends on how these films perform. If Sony is able to start breaking a billion dollars at the box office with their own films, they may feel they no longer need Disney and marvel Studios’ help. Or, if Spider-Man remains their many important intellectual property, they may want to keep him tied to the MCU so long as it remains the most significant thing in cinema.
How do you think it will all play out? Share what you think will happen or what you want to happen in the comments below.
Featured image through Sony Pictures