Topic / Subject

Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman says Sony plans to reboot its Spider-Man spin-off universe after a rough run of critical/box-office results. 

TL;DR

Sony’s “Spider-characters without Spider-Man” experiment is getting a reset: new plan, “new people,” unclear timeline. 

Key Details

Rothman said Sony plans to reboot the extended Spider-Man spin-off universe, per Entertainment Weekly.  The comments were tied to an interview on The Town with Matthew Belloni.  No slate, dates, or creative leads were announced — this is a direction change, not a calendar update.  The reboot talk comes after multiple recent spin-off films underperformed critically and commercially, per EW’s framing. 

Breakdown

Sony’s live-action spin-off universe has always had a tricky pitch: build movies around Spider-Man adjacent characters while the main Spider-Man story lives elsewhere.

Rothman’s reboot language is basically an admission that the current approach isn’t delivering. “Fresh reboot” and “new people” reads like: the idea might survive, but the current version of it won’t.

The big unknown is what “reboot” even looks like here. Do they keep the same tone and just change the cast? Do they rethink the entire strategy and only do certain characters? Right now, Sony’s saying “reset,” not “here’s the blueprint.” 

What to Watch Next

Any official announcement of the first reboot project (that will reveal the true direction). Whether Sony moves toward fewer, more “event” releases (Rothman’s scarcity point is a tell).  Whether any previous actors/characters are formally ruled out or quietly recast.

Sources

Entertainment Weekly — Sony will reboot its extended “Spider-Man” universe, studio chief says The Town with Matthew Belloni — episode listing (Tom Rothman interview)

Comment

If Sony reboots this universe, do you want them to keep it grounded like Venom… or go full weird-comic-book from the start?