You know that report from last week stating that Marvel Studios was looking to bring Vincent D’Onofrio and his character Kingpin over from the Netflix Daredevil series to Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming film?
Forget we said anything.
D’Onofrio himself has come forward on Twitter to state that he has not been privy to any discussion about him putting in an appearance in the upcoming film.
Sorry folks but this is news to me.
It would be great but I don't think it will happen. V. https://t.co/GrVwbUYsqX— Vincent D'Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) May 20, 2016
Of course, some might counter that he just hasn’t been asked yet. But with production on the film starting next month, it can be assumed that discussions should have already been started as to whether he could participate or not. That is, unless his part is so modular to the plot that he can be plugged in or out without much, if any, impact. But who would want that from the character? D’Onofrio might just be playing coy here. Remember how his appearance in Daredevil season 2 was a surprise? They could be trying to preserve a similar reveal here.
Probably the more mundane, boring and frankly a bit frustrating reason that Kingpin won’t be crossing over from the small to the big screen is the current business structure of Marvel Studios. the film side of things is pretty autonomous from much of the rest of Marvel Entertainment, thanks to Kevin Feige’s hard fought battles for control. He reports directly to Disney chief Alan Horn while Marvel’s TV side still reports internally to Ike Perlmutter. Perlmutter rather famously holds grudges and it wouldn’t surprise anyone that he would withhold a television character from appearing in any of the movies just out of spite for Feige wresting control of the film side away from him.
Spider-Man: Homecoming will star Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Melissa Tome as Aunt May, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Zendaya, Tony Revolori and Michael Keaton in an unnamed villain, most likely the Vulture. It swings into theaters on July 7, 2017.
