Way back in July, Sony Pictures did a curious thing and announced the release date of The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4, despite the second installment of the series not being released till May 2nd, 2014. Since then, rumors began to trickle out that the 4th Spider-Man film might not be what we think it is. These rumors further intensified when it was revealed that current Spidy/Peter Parker actor, Andrew Garfield has only been commissioned for three films. When speaking with reporters, Mar Web (Director of The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2) revealed Sony plans on keeping things fresh by having the 4th film not be ”just a Spider-Man movie.” Now we know just how fresh Sony plans to keep things as the company has just announced a ‘Venom‘ and ‘Sinister Six‘ film in an expanded Spider-Man universe.

While taking a cue from Marvel, Sony Pictures is looking to change things up by announcing two films with the villains front and center. For those not familiar, Venom is a huge nemesis of Spider-Man and is formed when an alien symbiote arrives on earth and takes over their host. The Sinister Six on the other hand are led by Doc Oc. While the rest of the super villains have varied, depending on which Spider-Man timeline you’re reading, usual members include Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and Sandman.

To help put this expanded universe into motion, Sony is working with Marc Webb, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard who will collaborate on this vision. It’s believed that Drew Goddard will write and possibly direct Sinister Six while Alex Kurtzman will direct Venom. With May 4, 2018 now vacant from what was previously pegged as The Amazing Spider-Man 4, it’s likely that Sinister Six will instead take the spot with a Venom film to follow. It remains to be seen if Spider-Man himself will have a roll in these films which would beg the question, if not Spider-Man, who would face the villains? (Squeak at the idea of Spider-Man and Venom teaming up with eventual mega baddy Carnage to follow)

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CULVER CITY, Calif., December 12, 2013 – 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.”

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Discuss:

What do you think of Sony Pictures plan to expand the Spider-Man universe by growing the list of baddies and giving them their own films?