Spider-Man will swinging back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It was always a question among comic book fans: would Spider-Man, originally an original Marvel comic, make his way into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe? That question was answered this evening with the announcement of a new collaboration between Sony and Marvel (via Disney).

“Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world,” said Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”

The rebooted $4 billion Spider-Man franchise will be returning to Marvel in a deal between the studio and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony has owned the rights to Spider-Man since 1999, but this move signals that studios are looking to tell great stories instead of disputing business differences.

Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment said “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”

We’ll first see Spidey an in an upcoming, untitled film due out July 28, 2017. Along with this announcement and Marvel’s upcoming Phase 3 films, we can expect to see Spiderman in one of them.

Additional films featuring Peter Parker will potentially follow after the initial appearance with Sony continuing to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of any future films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into future Spider-Man films.

Marvel’s veteran producer Kevin Feige will produce this new film, along with Amy Pascal who oversaw the franchise at Sony. Together, the two are excited to begin production which will happen in the near future (and will feature a newly casted person as the title character). “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.”

It’ll just be a few more years until we see our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in our neighborhood theaters!

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Are you happy to know that Spider-Man will be returning? What film do you think we’ll see Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Share your thoughts in the comments!