'It Should Be an Epic': Marvel Zombies Could Have Been a Movie, But Sony's Rules Around Using Spider-Man Got in the Way

What If...? spin-off Marvel Zombies was erstwhile planned to beryllium a movie, until its showrunner was told of Sony's rules astir featuring the quality of Spider-Man.

Sony owns the movie rights to Marvel's web-slinging comicbook hero, and has strict limitations connected erstwhile and however the quality tin beryllium used. This means that Sony can, for instance, merchandise feature-length animated Spider-Man movies — specified arsenic its Into the Spider-Verse saga — but Marvel cannot.

The realisation of this by Marvel Zombies' accumulation squad meant the task ended up being made arsenic a four-part Disney+ mini-series instead, showrunner Bryan Andrews has told Variety, contempt hopes for much screentime.

Asked wherefore the well-received Marvel Zombies was constricted to conscionable 4 half-hour episodes, Andrews said it was each "time and money, man."

"It's 'Hey, this is each you got.' We're like, 'Oh shit! All right.' We were creating a happening and didn't cognize what the bounds was going to be. Then they're like, 'Oh no, no, guys.' Then we thought, 'Well, let's marque it a movie.' We were going to marque it a movie and person it released.

"It should beryllium an epic," Andrews said of Marvel Zombies' movie ambitions. "It's gonna beryllium two, 2 and a fractional hours long. It's gonna beryllium amazing. But, determination were contractual issues due to the fact that of Spider-Man successful it. So, determination are Sony rules that travel into play. We were like, 'Oh shit, that's a thing? Oh no, okay, I conjecture we can't bash that.' So we broke it up.

"Now, it plays similar 4 chapters successful a book. Even with the 4 chapters, it would person been awesome if we had much clip to marque each installment a small spot longer, conscionable truthful we could beverage those quiescent moments a spot longer. We tried to enactment it successful arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, and it moves astatine a breakneck pace. We enactment successful those moments of stillness and reflection arsenic champion we could. Maybe adjacent clip around, if everyone loves it capable and yells online capable to request more, possibly they'll springiness america much clip and much money."

As portion of the aforesaid interview, Andrews revealed that Zombies was made astir the aforesaid clip arsenic What If...? Season 3, and that Marvel had sat connected Zombies' merchandise for immoderate time, arsenic the bid had efficaciously been acceptable since past year's motorboat of Agatha: All Along. Zombies' motorboat was pushed back, however, to debar the 2 shows cannabilising each other's attention.

Last week, Brad Winderbaum, caput of streaming, tv and animation astatine Marvel Studios, told IGN that Marvel Zombies had initially been developed "believing that determination would beryllium a Blade movie retired good before."

Of course, arsenic we present know, that didn't crook retired to beryllium the lawsuit — contempt galore attempts by Marvel to get the Mahershala Ali-starring Blade task disconnected the ground, sometimes astatine a comparatively precocious stage. Ultimately, arsenic uncertainty implicit the live-action movie continued, Winderbaum's animation squad were forced to pivot their ain plans for the character, and yet onshore connected the Fists of Khonshu mentation of Blade that's featured successful Marvel Zombies now. Voiced by Invincible and Starfield seasoned Todd Williams, Marvel Zombies' Blade stole the amusement successful the series' trailers.

"Marvel Zombies whitethorn beryllium formulaic astatine times, but the bid succeeds by giving america precisely what the MCU hasn’t successful caller years," IGN wrote successful our Marvel Zombies review. "The amusive quality dynamics and the information that the bid is acold amended than the regular MCU astatine gathering bonds among the assorted Phase 4 and 5 characters are capable to marque Marvel Zombies worthy watching."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social