Phil Lord And Chris Miller Making Spiderman Animated Movie

By Peter ScirettaApril 22, 2015 7:18 pm EST

Tonight at Sony's presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Tom Rothman made a surprise announcement: The LEGO Movie/Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will be making a Spider-Man Animated movie, due in theaters on July 20, 2018. Hit the jump to read the animated Spider-Man press release and get our analysis and opinion.

Here are the takeaways from the Spider-Man animated movie news:

The Spider-Man animated movie will hit theaters on July 20th, 2018

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the directors of The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and 21 and 22 Jump Street, are developing the animated Spider-Man feature film. They will be writing the treatment and producing the film. There's no word on whether they will be involved in any directorial capacity. If they're not, we don't know who will get that job.

While Tom Rothman said on stage that the film will "co-exist" with the live-action Spider-Man universe, the press release clarifies: "The film will exist independently of the projects in the live-action Spider-Man universe, all of which are continuing."

Tom Rothman said on stage that the project is going to be "fucking awesome."

Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal are also serving as producers.

Here are my thoughts on the Spider-Man animated movie:

I love Lord and Miller and am willing to watch anything they will EVER make. They could make a piece of shit taste awesome. Its notable that this might be the first project the comedy duo is taking on that doesn't sound like a horrible idea at face value. Lord and Miller are known for their "under-promise / over-deliver" choices of projects.

Relaunching the Spider-Man film series with Marvel Studios alongside a Spider-Man animated series seems like a recipe to confuse audiences unless the films end up seeming completely different, and I'm sure with Lord and Miller involved they will.

Remember that it was reported in December 2014 that Lord and Miller were in talks with Sony to be involved in an animated Spider-Man comedy feature. The news came from the Sony hacking leak.

Here is the Spider-Man animated movie press release:

SPIDER-MAN GETS ANIMATED AND DATED WITH PHIL LORD & CHRISTOPHER MILLER AND SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 22, 2015 – On July 20, 2018, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the directors of The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and 21 and 22 Jump Street, are taking Spider-Man back to his graphic roots with the first-of-its-kind animated Spider-Man feature, it was announced today at CinemaCon by Tom Rothman, chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group. The film will exist independently of the projects in the live-action Spider-Man universe, all of which are continuing.

Lord & Miller are masterminding the project, writing the treatment and producing the film.

As previously announced, Spider-Man will next appear in a live-action Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, a live-action film being produced by Kevin Feige at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. The animated film from Lord & Miller, dated July 20, 2018, has Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Pascal also serving as producers.

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.