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Marvel and Sony spent years working out the details to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is certain that the X-Men won’t be meeting up with Iron Man anytime soon.
In an interview with Variety, Feige said that the studio’s focus right now was on its own cast of characters and films that it’s already announced. With films bringing the company through 2020, Feige added that he wasn’t concerned about running out of material anytime soon.
“It’s an impossibility at this juncture,” Feige said. “We certainly have enough films to keep us busy for a number of lifetimes.”
The “at this juncture” point is interesting, as Feige isn’t outright saying that it could never happen. The studio is just coming off its successful forray into uncharted territory with the release of Doctor Strange earlier this month, and its next Thor movie will be the most unique take on the franchise yet.
Of course, this refers to Marvel and Fox’s film division. As it stands, Fox controls the rights to the X-Men franchise and its characters, as well as Deadpool. Marvel, on the other hand, owns all of the characters in the MCU right now, and partnered with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the universe next year. On the television front, the companies have already begun to work together. Legion, FX and Marvel’s new series set to debut next year, was produced in partnership between the two companies.
According to Feige, the next thing that the company wants to focus its attention on is securing a female director for its upcoming Captain Marvel film. Feige told Variety that it was crucial the film be directed by a woman, and was making it a priority at the studio.
“Having a female director at the helm to tell the story of a woman who is also our most powerful hero by far is very important to us,” Feige said.
The next Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, is slated to be released May 5, 2017. Spider-Man: Homecoming will follow on July 7 and Thor: Ragnarok will end the year on Nov. 3.
