Why was Spider-man never in a movie with the newly released Venom (2018)?
Was it the low ratings? Or was it impossible for the writing team to finally meet these two characters together?
The reason Spider-Man was not featured in the movie Venom (2018) is primarily due to the complex ownership of the characters and their rights. Spider-Man, along with various other Marvel characters, is owned by Marvel Studios, which is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. However, the film rights for Spider-Man were previously licensed to Sony Pictures Entertainment, a separate film studio.
Venom, on the other hand, is traditionally associated with Spider-Man in the comic books. However, Sony Pictures, who holds the film rights to Spider-Man, also has the rights to produce films featuring characters from Spider-Man's comic book universe, including Venom. This allowed Sony to create a standalone Venom film without involving Marvel Studios or Spider-Man.
Additionally, the 2018 Venom film was intended to launch a separate cinematic universe known as Sony's Marvel Universe. So, the decision to exclude Spider-Man from Venom was likely a strategic choice made by Sony to establish Venom as a standalone character within their separate universe.
It is worth noting that due to various negotiations and agreements between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios over the years, Spider-Man has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alongside characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and others. However, while Spider-Man has crossed over into the MCU, there has been no official crossover between the MCU and Sony's Marvel Universe, which includes Venom.
So Sony's decision to completely split-off from the MCU universe is what ultimately killed any chances for these two characters to ever meet? And it is what ultimately shut it down?
The decision to split off Sony's Marvel Universe from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) did limit the chances of Spider-Man and the characters from that universe, including Venom, to ever have a direct crossover in future films. It effectively closed the door on the possibility of seeing these characters interact on-screen, at least for the time being.
However, it is important to note that the situation is not necessarily permanent or definitively closed. Movie studios often make deals and negotiate agreements, so there is always the potential for future collaborations or changes in the rights and ownership of these characters.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that there have been instances in the comic book world where characters from different universes or different publishers have crossed over, even if their film counterparts haven't done so. So while it may be challenging due to the current rights and ownership situation, it is not entirely impossible for these characters to eventually meet in future movies if the studios involved decide to explore such possibilities.
Tom Hardy explained in an interview before release that there was at least 40-50 mins of cut footage from the film. Is there any source that shows this footage?
As of my knowledge cutoff date in September 2021, there has been no official release or source showcasing the 40-50 minutes of cut footage from the film Venom (2018) mentioned by Tom Hardy in his interview. Typically, deleted scenes or additional footage are sometimes included in DVD/Blu-ray releases or shared online by the filmmakers. However, if the cut footage has not been officially released, it may not be widely available to the public. It's also possible that the footage might never be released.
It's important to note that filmmakers often make creative decisions during the editing process, and certain scenes or footage may be cut from the final version of a film for various reasons such as pacing, timing, or narrative clarity.