Sony Pictures drops the bombshell that they're launching Venom and Sinister Six spin-off franchises.
When Sony Pictures Co-Chairman Amy Pascal told investors last month that Sony was looking to “access Marvel’s full world of Spider-Man characters,” she wasn’t kidding.
In a bold announcement that seeks to “forge a new legacy for Peter Parker” on the big screen, Sony has announced both Venom and Sinister Six spin-off movies, as well as a new franchise “brain trust” that will make it happen.
To be more specific, each spin-off, separate from the forthcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4, in 2016 and 2018 respectively, will be two new potential franchises each potentially birthed by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and Drew Goddard, respectively.
Set up as a “brain trust” by the studio with longtime Spider-Man producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, as well as Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Amazing Spider-Man helmer Marc Webb, Kurtzman and Orci, who wrote a draft of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and also penned both of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, several of the Transformers movies, and are co-creators of Fox’s new hit Sleepy Hollow, will write the screenplay for Venom along with Solomon. Kurtzman is also set to direct that film, which presumably would center on the symbiote-cloaked baddie who was originally written to be a Spider-Man doppleganger in the comics and is often aliased as Eddie Brock. Additionally, Goddard is intended to direct a Sinister Six film, which would certainly give him a foot in multiple Marvel movie universes, as he is also the current executive producer, showrunner and pilot director of Netflix’s new Daredevil series that is tied into Marvel/Disney’s Marvel Studios franchise. However, if anyone can manage six disparate villains fighting amongst themselves, it is likely the man who co-scripted and directed Cabin in the Woods. Also worth noting is that Goddard is a colleague of Joss Whedon going all the way back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, said in a press statement, “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 TheAmazing 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.”
For any fan, geek or Spider-Man enthusiast, this is rather stunning news. Obviously, Sony seeks to build their own Marvel Cinematic Universe through the villains. And if one is to do that, it makes the most sense to use the Spider-Man rogues gallery, which is arguably the deepest and most fascinating in all of comicdom. Plus, there is a whole backlog that could expand it further: Black Cat seems like an obvious candidate for a spin-off, as well as characters like Silver Sable and Scarlet Spider for that matter (who says Ben Reilly has to be a clone)? Most intriguing is the prospect of a villain based team-up film. Would they be the “protagonists” of the story? Would Spider-Man be featured or would it be the dastardly baddies versus law enforcement or an even greater evil than their own sinister standards? For that matter who would be in the Sinister Six besides the obvious applicants in Rhino (Paul Giamatti) and Electro (Jamie Foxx)? Obviously, with the casting of Colm Feore as Adrian Toomes for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Vulture is an obvious candidate. Indeed, he and Doc Ock are heavily hinted at already existing in the new canon as seen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2trailer.
There is much to be gleamed here for fans to consider. How about yourself? Do you like the idea of Venom and Sinister Six spin-off movies? Who else from the Spidey mythos may deserve their own movie?