Spider-Man confirmed to feature in Captain America 3; Marvel's new Spidey film pushes back Thor 3, Black Panther

Spider-Man is finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which means fans will soon get to see the popular webslinger alongside The Avengers!

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have finalised a deal which will bring Spidey together with other huge Marvel heroes. Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU) - which could most probably be Captain America 3: Civil War (since in the comics, Spider-Man plays a key role in the storyline).

Sony Pictures will thereafter release a standalone Spidey film on 28 July, 2017, that will be co-produced by Marvel's Kevin Feige and former Sony Pictures head Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. (via ComicBookMovie)

"I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie," said Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. "Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world's most beloved characters. Marvel's involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years."

"We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man," said Michael Lynton, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans," he added.

While no official announcement has been made regarding casting for the new Spider-Man, several reports suggest that Andrew Garfield is definitely out and the makers will probably look for a different actor to play the superhero.

Marvel has also changed the release dates of some of their big upcoming films to accommodate the new Spider-Man movie. Here's the complete updated list of the Marvel films lineup [with revised dates in bold]: (via The Verge)

Avengers: Age of Ultron: 1 May, 2015
Ant-Man: 17 July, 2015
Captain America: Civil War: 6 May, 2016
Doctor Strange: 4 November, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: 5 May, 2017
Spider-Man: 28 July, 2017
Thor: Ragnarok: 3 November, 2017
Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1: 4 May, 2018
Black Panther: 6 July, 2018
Captain Marvel: 2 November, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2: 3 May, 2019
Inhumans: 12 July, 2019