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.”
Related:
Sony Plans More Spider-Man Sequels & Spinoffs But Still No Marvel Reunion
Hot Trailer: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
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.
Related: Drew Goddard Suits Up For Neflix’s ‘Daredevil’
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
in other words…SPE still has no idea how to sustain the brand that’s owned by Marvel, and will eventually be given to Disney one their licensing cycle ends…sounds like fun.
In other words, sony will continue to make money.
I understood that If sony keeps making films, they do not lose the rights.
If that’s not the case, can you please advise?
I fell over laughing when I read the words “franchise brain trust” and Sony in the same sentence. Sony has no clue how to develop and manage a lemonade stand let alone franchise content. You can feel the desperation at Sony seeping through the wording of the press release. They are about to make the same basic, yet massive blunder Warner’s is, trying to fast track and replicate Marvel’s success and not realizing Marvel had a very careful and deliberate strategy that was crafted over a decade. You can’t rush this. You build it piece-by-piece. Starting now, Sony and Warner are at best 7 years behind Marvel.Rushing it is only going to lead to some spectacular failures. I start getting the popcorn ready for everyone.
Say goodbye to all the Spiderman crew jobs we used to have in California. Sony now shoots everything in New York. The stages at Sony Culver City used to be the “HQ” for Spiderman productions. Los Angeles is no longer a film factory town. The best infrastructure on the planet is a ghost town.
Well, far be it from me to question the decisions of studio execs, because they always know best (insert snicker here).
It is too bad the Marvel universe is split between competing studios, because it would have made sense to integrate Spidey with the rest of the various Marvel films. Talk about cross-pollinating!
But that seems impossible now, unless Sony buys Disney (yeah, right!). It’s more likely the other way ’round, if ever. Don’t anyone hold their breath to see a fully-complete Marvel universe on film.
Maybe Warners has a shot with a complete DC universe on film? Time will tell.
A Venom movie? I sort of get that. But a Sinister Six movie? Seriously?
This reeks of deranged desperation, as Sony tries to milk their Spidey rights for whatever they can, yet oddly doesn’t go for Scarlet Spider, Black Cat, Morbius, Silver Sable, etc.
Sony is weird.
Black Cat could be a fantastic film! I think Morbius is a Disney Marvel property. Silver Sable could be good, and Scarlet Spider should be introduced with Spider-man and maybe get a spinoff.
Sinister Six seems like a weird way to go. Who would be the protagonist and whom the antagonist?
In addition to Scarlet Spider, Black Cat, Morbius, and Silver Sable, Sony should also go for Pink Rhino, Plaid Plattypus, Paisley Parsnip, and Perriwinkle Pipsqueek.
“Plaid Platypus and the Paisley Parsnip” would make BANK.
This sounds like Marvel is attempting to steer the Spider-Man franchise back to Marvel/Disney by railroading dubious and unsustainable Spider-movies into production and the desperate management at Sony is taking the bait. Remember, these are the kind of movies that if they DON’T work, Sony loses 50-100m a pop. How is this badly broken and deeply old fashioned studio gonna score with Venom when they have completely blown it on two Ghost Rider movies?
Your post makes no sense. Ghost Rider is produced by Fox, not Sony. Also the only thing Sony has to do to stop the rights from reverting back to Marvel/Disney is to keep making these films regardless of quality. The Spider-Man characters will never go back to Marvel unless Sony goes under.
Sorry, you were ill informed. Columbia Pictures (Sony Company) produced both Ghost Rider films. The rights for Ghost Rider just reverted from Sony back to Marvel/Disney (along with the punisher.
Actually, Lionsgate owns (ed) Punisher rights, not Sony.
Whatever. Everyone wants to duplicate Marvel’s success.
Good luck.
At what point does the audience get tired or overwhelmed with superhero/supervillain films that all have the same story arcs or tone?
The great backlash is going to begin after the Superman/Batman movie. That is when audiences will finally tire of the Studios taking advantage of them for a quick buck.
I think you’re right. Warner Bros better be careful that they don’t put off their audience before their Justice league. Marvel also better take care they don’t fatigue their own audience. At least Marvel has some original (or different) characters coming in Guardians and Ant Man.
So just how do you have a successful movie with just a comic book villain and no one to battle them? This is not Breaking Bad or Dexter. Or will Spir Man be in the movies just to battle them?
God, I am so anxiously awaiting for this genre’s bubble to burst! Hollywood is in dire need of a box-office crash.
Venom won’t work but Sinister Six has potential.
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….
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.
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.