The release dates of several of Sony's new projects (which include a Garfield film among its Marvel fare) have been delayed. Additionally, the company has announced production on a new Karate Kid film, which will return that franchise to the big screen.
Sony has been ramping up its efforts in its Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) initiative, which it hopes to build up alongside its partnership with Marvel Studios. Though some of its efforts, such as Morbius, have flopped, it has continued to produce its own spin-offs centering around Spider-Man characters even as Tom Holland's Spider-Man is set in a different cinematic universe (Earth-19999, or Earth-616 as has been stated recently). Still, the success of films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home (which received a push at the Academy Awards last year), and the success of Cobra Kai on Netflix, have influenced some of Sony Pictures' next moves.
As recently announced via Sony Pictures, films such as Kraven the Hunter (starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter) and Madame Web (starring Dakota Johnson as Madame Web and Sydney Sweeney in a mystery role) have been pushed back. Originally premiering on January 13, 2023, Kraven the Hunter (which will be screened in IMAX) is now releasing on October 6, 2023. Madame Web (also to screen in IMAX) was originally going to premiere in the October 6, 2023, release slot, and has now been pushed back to February 16, 2024. An Untitled Sony/Marvel Universe project was also originally set to drop on June 7, 2024, and has now been slightly pushed back to July 12, 2024.
Fans of The Karate Kid should be happy as well, because a new film, described as "the return of the original Karate Kid franchise," is set to make its debut on June 7, 2024. Details about that film were not revealed, but Cobra Kai season 5 landed a 100% perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, considering the show is a massive success for the franchise, and that quite a few of the original stars of the franchise have appeared on and are loyal to the show, it's possible that Cobra Kai will somehow tie into this new film.
The release date shift of Sony's Marvel films is an interesting one. Kraven the Hunter wrapped filming nearly three months ago, and Madame Web started filming just two months ago. The shifts in their release dates are radical and could suggest that Sony is working on how to avoid the mistakes of Morbius. A few extra months in production could indicate that the films are undergoing some restructuring to avoid the fate of that film.
Meanwhile, the new Karate Kid film seems like an interesting prospect as well. It was previously alluded to by Ralph Macchio, who teased the Karate Kid Cinematic Universe. Cobra Kai is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, so it's very possible some of the characters originating in the Netflix show would make the jump to the film universe. Such a move would be a testament to Cobra Kai's success, as usually, films tend to ignore television spin-offs because of the belief that film audiences find it difficult wading between episodic continuities, so having Cobra Kai involved in the mix would show that the spin-off is well-known and loved enough by the fans for Sony to include it.
Source: Sony Pictures