VENOM and SINISTER SIX Films Announced
As most of you already know, Sony Pictures is planning to expand the Amazing Spider-Man cinematic universe and produce spin-off films with some of those characters. They said that they want "to forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen." We now know the details of what the studio plans on doing which characters are going to be given their own movies. They include Venom and the Sinister Six!
They even already have writers and a director being lined up for the movies! Alex Kurtzman (Spider-Man and Star Trek writer) is set to co-write and direct Venom, and Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) will write and possibly direct Sinister Six! I've got to say, this is all really exciting!
Of course, the director of the Amazing Spider-Man films, Marc Webb, will also be involved with the development of these movies. I'm a huge fan of the Spider-Man franchise, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the studio ends up doing with these characters. I'm sure we will see even more films get made down the line with different characters, but Venom and Sinister Six are a great start!
Here is the press release with even more details!
Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that they will, in association with Marvel Entertainment, develop 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.
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 forThe Amazing Spider-Man 3, which the studio hopes Webb will return to direct. That 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 with Kurtzman & Orci & Solomon writing the screenplay for Venom, which Kurtzman will direct. Goddard, then, 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.
Commenting on the announcement, Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures 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.”