Although Sony's Venom movie was produced in association with Marvel Studios, the extent of that studio's involvement in the film was unclear. Now, director Ruben Fleischer has divulged the level of Marvel Studios' involvement in Venom.
"Not in any way,” Fleischer told Metro when asked if he'd had any contact with or Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige or the studio itself during the production of Venom.
RELATED: Review: Venom is an Unwelcome Blast from the Pre-MCU Past
Despite the two studios lack of communication, Fleischer expressed his interest in collaborating with Marvel Studios in the future, saying, "I hope that at some point they will be able to crossover. But for us the entire process was self-contained.”
A crossover would make sense considering Venom's deep ties to Spider-Man. Venom started as a black alien costume for Spider-Man obtained during the events of Secret Wars, which ran from 1984 to 1985. The costume -- actually an alien symbiote -- eventually became one of Spider-Man's most iconic and recognizable foes. However, the two have put aside their differences and fought side-by-side on numerous occasions.
The last time Spider-Man and Venom were seen together on screen was 2007's Spider-Man 3. After a failed relaunch of Spider-Man as a film franchise by Sony, ending with 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony made an agreement with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Sony still holds the film rights to Venom and a number of other characters associated with the Spider-Man mythos.
RELATED: All of the Marvel Comics Symbiotes in the Venom Movie
In theaters nationwide, director Ruben Fleischer’s Venom stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate,Woody Harrelson, Sope Aluko, Scott Deckert, Marcella Bragio and Michelle Lee.