Sony is bringing Marvel into the world of Spider-Man

It's a move that will likely introduce a brand new version of Spider-Man in future films. According to a statement released on the Marvel website Monday night, the new Spider-Man will appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The announcement says in part:

Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

There have been lots of rumblings of late surrounding Marvel's impending brand overhaul, now it appears this latest news may be just the beginning of a long-awaited rebirth for the company, and for Spider-Man in particular.

The character has existed within the world of Marvel for some 50 years, and has fans spanning several generations. The Spider-Man franchise has so far earned $4 billion across five films released worldwide.