Marvel fans collectively cheered last week when it was announced that Disney and Sony had reached a new deal to keep Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it was all thanks to Tom Holland's persuasion skills, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
On Wednesday, the outlet reported that the 23-year-old actor had pushed Disney CEO Bob Iger and Sony film chairman Tom Rothman to come to a new agreement that would secure Spider-Man's place within the MCU—at least for the next franchise installment. Sources say Holland pressured Rothman to go back to the negotiation table with Disney, shortly after he made an appearance at the D23 Expo to promote his upcoming Disney film Onward.
Per THR:
Holland began flexing his diplomacy after the D23 wrapped Aug. 25. He leaned on Rothman to re-engage with Disney (the actor was able to leverage his clout because he also is set to star in Sony's Uncharted) and also surprisingly reached out to Iger, beseeching one of Hollywood's most powerful executives to return to the table.
It appears Holland's pleas worked. Weeks after the Disney-Sony negotiations were said to have died, the studios announced they had reached new a deal in which Disney would co-finance 25 percent of the next Spider-Man and take a 25 percent of the net gross profits.
Holland responded to the big announcement via Instagram, posting a clip from Leonardo DiCaprio's Wolf of Wall Street.
"I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it," Feige said in a statement. "Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold."
