Michael Lynton said last month that they intended to create “a bigger universe around Spider-Man” and today Sony Pictures had a new webslinging big bang. Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with Marvel Entertainment, announced it will make movies on Spidey villains Venom and The Sinister Six. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to collaborate on overseeing the developing story over several films that will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach. This was announced via the tucked away ElectroArrives.com, Spider-Man 2 related website. Spider-Man reboot 1 & 2 director Marc Webb will join the five scribes and two producers in what Sony is terming “a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films.”
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For a studio that’s trimming back film output it is a pretty big expansion but then again the 4-movie Spidey franchise has made $3.2 billion worldwide so far for Sony/Columbia since it started in 2002 – and that’s without the expected blockbuster of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that starts its international rollout on April 16, 2014 and debuts Stateside on May 2, 2014. Besides Spider-Man 3, which is expected to come out on June 10, 2016, there is a Kurtzman-directed Venom and a Drew Goddard-directed Sinister Six in the offing. Kurtzman, Orci and Solomon will pen the screenplay for the former starring the black suited anti-Spider-man baddie played by Topher Grace in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Goddard will write and likely helm the latter, which features a coterie of the franchise bad guys. “Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story,” said Columbia boss Doug Belgrad in a statement tonight with Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio. One way or another, looks like Peter Parker and his pals just got very busy for the long haul. It eases Sony’s burden of providing direct Spidey sequels, and follows Fox’s move to diversify its X-Men universe in the same way. This protects billion dollar franchises from reverting back to Marvel, and rival studio Disney.
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Here is Sony’s official release:
In a move to forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen, Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with Marvel Entertainment, is developing several new projects in the Spider-Man franchise, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to collaborate on overseeing the developing story over several films that will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
The five writers, along with the two producers and Marc Webb, have formed a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films. Under the deals, the studio announced that Kurtzman & Orci & Pinkner are writing the screenplay for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which the studio hopes Webb will return to direct; the film will go into production next fall for release on June 10, 2016. In addition, the team will build on the cinematic foundation laid by Webb, Arad, and Tolmach in the first two movies. They will expand the franchise as Kurtzman & Orci & Solomon will write the screenplay for Venom, which Kurtzman will direct; also, Goddard will write, with an eye to direct, The Sinister Six, focusing on the villains in the franchise. Hannah Minghella and Rachel O’Connor will oversee the development and production of these films for the studio.
In tapping these five writers, the studio and the producers are guiding the future of the franchise with the writer/producers who have each played significant and key roles in developing such highly successful franchises, films, and series as Star Trek, Transformers, “Alias,” “Fringe,” Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, World War Z, “Lost,” Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods, and Marvel’s upcoming “Daredevil” series.
Commenting on the announcement, Belgrad said, “The Spider-Man film franchise is one of our studio’s greatest assets. We are thrilled with the creative team we have assembled to delve more deeply into the world that Marc, Avi and Matt have begun to explore in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. We believe that Marc, Alex, and Drew have uniquely exciting visions for how to expand the Spider-Man universe in each of these upcoming films.”
Arad and Tolmach added, “This collaboration was born out of the great experience we and Marc had working with Alex, Bob, and Jeff on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With more than fifty years’ wealth of stories in the comic books to draw upon for inspiration, the Spider-Man universe is truly boundless; in addition, the Spider-Man comics have the greatest rogues gallery of any series, and to have the chance to explore that on film is truly thrilling. Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story. That is what Alex, Bob, Jeff, Ed, and Drew will do in this unprecedented collaboration, and we’re excited about the directions they are taking the character and the world.”
The most successful franchise in the history of Columbia Pictures, Spider-Man is embraced all over the world. The four Spider-Man films to date have taken in over $3.2 billion worldwide. Spider-Man, Venom, The Sinister
The Sinister Six could work. A witty “Ocean’s 11” type script. Tap the Coen brothers to direct. I just don’t see Disney/Marvel being as committed to being as unconventional as they must in order for this to succeed.
It would be informative to find out what the exact terms of these Marvel licensing deals are, as more and more they seem to be the main thing directing how the studios are using these properties.
In he case of Sony and Spidey questions like – how much time does Sony have between productions before it’s option lapses? what specific characters do they own (i.e. Cloak and Dagger? Silver Sable? the Slingers? or even characters created subsequent to the original deal like Miles Morales?) is a movie with just villains in it enough to satisfy the option’s requirements or must Spider-Man appear in some way in each feature? and do they have the rights to produce a TV series using these characters? are important and interesting and their answers will make a great scoop for the journalist who gets them.
I don’t get the so called fans of Marvel. You really want them to do everything? Do you realize WB doesn’t churn out movies constantly due to money constraints? Thats why Marvel let these licenses go to begin with, they couldn’t afford to make them ALL. Even under Disney they only have a budget to make so many movies a year. You shove ALL these under Disney, not only do you lose competition, you only see 2 to 3 hero movies a year. That means if Wolverine, Punisher, Spidey, and their entire crews go back to Disney, we lose titles like Thor, Captain A, or even Guardians of the Galaxy.
That and Sony constantly openly states they are working in hand WITH MARVEL, so what the hell is your problem? You’re sad because Spidey isn’t a typical action movie that leads into Avengers? boo hoo, Sony tried to make that happen, but Disney was in too much of a hurry to make money….
Venom won’t work but Sinister Six has potential.
God, I am so anxiously awaiting for this genre’s bubble to burst! Hollywood is in dire need of a box-office crash.