Sony Rumored To Have Allowed SPIDER-MAN To Be Apart Of AVENGERS INFINITY WAR

He's just your friendly intergalactic Spider-Man.

There's been some clear signs post-Amazing Spider-Man 2 that the franchise is in real creative trouble and Sony Japan the people who pay the bills at Sony Pictures want things fixed soon. The company has been losing billions in most divisions and the studio isn't making huge strides compared to competitors like 20th Century Fox, Paramount or Disney.

Before the Sony email hacking leaks there had been chatter of Marvel and Sony getting together for a Spidey summit in January. The studio division was being pressured by Sony Japan to work something out with Marvel to obviously help the dwindling franchise which is seeing it's box office decrease with each installment.

We since had been trying to figure-out what was legit and what was bullshit from the Sony email leaks as many stories/rumors started flooding the film news cycle.

Goodbye Andrew.

Stories started coming out like Sony wanting to reboot Spider-Man a second time without actor Andrew Garfield who would be seemingly recast. Talk of his firing become a heated topic but a likelihood considering of the piss-poor job the films had been doing.

This had been a story over at Badass Digest even before the leak, suggesting that Sinister Six would be the film Sony would reboot the franchise. I have to assume this is a serious possibility and might be the end of Garfield as Peter Parker.

There was even talk that the studio would want to bring Parker back to high school and would mean a much younger actor would be replacing Garfield in the role.

22 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were linked to three different Spider-Man film projects including an animated film, replacing Marc Webb for Amazing Spider-Man 3 and being on Sony producer's wish-list to direct the reboot. It looked very likely the pair could be taking over the franchise soon.

The Russo Brothers pitched producing this new film to Sony and was chatter of Marvel Studios stepping-in to handle it's production. The Russos just released Captain America: The Winter Soldier last year, are about to being production on Captain America: Civil War and are apparently set to direct Avengers Infinity War. If Spider-Man is apart of the latter film, it could make sense to see them produce solo films in the future.

All things I'm sure fans would love to see happen but most of these ideas haven't been exactly confirmed by any recent reports.

Game on!

According to Latin Review, Sony has reached some sort agreement with Marvel and Spidey could indeed be apart of the lineup in Avengers Infinity War Part 1.  It had been said earlier that Sony missed it's window to have Parker a major player in Captain America: Civil War.

I won't to go into detail about their reasoning why Spider-Man is in the film but there are some extensive spoilers for Phase Three films within that write-up. Be warned, most of the films will be spoiled if you click-on and read Latino Review's story.

However, I can add which characters Latino Review believe are possibilities to appear in the film. They include Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Panther, Doc Strange, Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain Marvel, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Old/New Inhumans, Guardians of The Galaxy and any other cosmic characters. Oh, and Spider-Man.

I assume in the films leading-up to Infinity War we'll see the rise of Thanos with him getting his hands on all the infinity stones along with the gauntlet. As seen in the teaser footage for the film at the Marvel event back in October he will end-up getting these cosmic weapons.

This is a good move on the part of Sony as it raises the profile of the character and makes him cohesive to the wildly successful Marvel cinematic universe. Having Marvel getting involved is a huge bonus since they've been able to figure-out how best to use their characters cinematically.

Marvel has already shown how they could incorporate this character into their universe via The Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series. Establishing the young hero as apart of the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Director Nick Fury as his mentor.

I'm curious if the cartoon will influence any of the direction Marvel will go with their take on Spider-Man.

The only draw-back I could see is that Sony asking Marvel to make their Spider-Man films in the future could slow-down the Marvel movie slate which we just saw bumped-up to three a year starting in 2017.

Then again, this is a rumor and could very well turn out not to be the case, so keep that in mind.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Sony Wanted Phil Lord And Chris Miller To Replace Marc Webb For AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3

Another piece of information confirms how badly Sony wants Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Lego Movie, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street) involved with their Spider-Man franchise. An email leaked from October via TheDailyBeast has the co-president of production talking about the directing pair replacing Marc Webb on Amazing Spider-Man 3. Granted this was back in October, but we also have emails with Sony wanting them to handle an animated film.

Producer Jeff Robinov pitched a reboot idea to Sony which included a massive wish-list of creatives and directors. Lord/Miller just happened to be among those names, it's likely the studio darlings could be at the top of the pack and could be pitched to during this summit in January. All signs are seemingly pointing to these two being Sony's choice.

SOURCE: DAILYBEAST

Sony Developing An All Female Team-Up Movie Set In The SPIDER-MAN Universe?

While some people are under some sort of impression that Spider-Man is going to be joining the ranks of Marvel's cinematic universe, at moment that is all opinion and rumor. Sony is clearly moving forward with more movies, and they don't seem to care much about including Parker in the MCU. Honestly, I don't think Marvel Studios even needs characters like Spider-Man or the X-Men, consider their huge lineup for Phase Three. If they did share or barrow Spider-Man, it would be the most expensive/pointless fan service moment ever. It would actually only benefit Sony, and this the reason I think Marvel will never do it. Captain America: Civil War is basically the best entry point for Spider-Man, and it's seems like Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther will be filling that gap.

Sony has been scrambling to figure out how to win-over audiences after their Amazing Spider-Man franchise keeps dipping in profits, and fan support. Interesting ideas have been springing-up of how to expand the Spider-Man universe. This comes at a cost though, the studio has basically put Amazing Spider-Man 3 on ice. Along with the rumored axing of Alex Kurtzman's Venom spin-off, as Alex moves on to direct Universal's Mummy reboot instead. It's doubtful that Venom will actually get made, and could likely be folded in Sinister Six.

The studio was so eager to get their villain movie Sinister Six up and running, they pulled it's writer and director Drew Goddard (The Martian, Cloverfield, Cabin In The Woods, Daredevil) off Marvel's Daredevil series. The Venom symboite was linked to being held at Oscorp, so it's extremely possible Venom will somehow factor-in to the film. Goddard is an extremely talented writer and director, I have a lot of support for this project. However, producers like Avi Arad could fuck-up it's potential with god-awful notes. There have been rumblings the film could also see a light-reboot of Peter Parker, and could see someone replacing Andrew Garfield.

That remains to be seen, but hiring another actor could help further distance the franchise from the last two installments. Considering Andrew is the literal face of the rebooted franchise. Webb could stay or go, but if Sinister Six connects with audiences. I don't doubt they'll try to get Goddard as their archtiure of their Spidey universe. I'm fine with Sinister Six happening, and thought Weta Workshop did a decent job on the Green Goblin costume, which looked inspired by Metal Gear Solid. The lineup apparently will include Goblin (Norman or Harry?), Doc Ock, Vulture, Kraven, Mysterio and Rhino. This is fine and dandy, but else is Sony planning on giving us, while they try to fix the main guy?

Well we've been hearing about a female-led Spider-Man movie which is coming out in 2016, with a script from Lisa Joy Nolan (Westworld, Burn Notice, Pushing Daises). BadassDigest might have found out what the studio's plan is for the film. The project has the working title Glass Celling (a reference to both Shattered Dimensions and real-world struggle women face in the workforce?), and could include an entire team of female characters. Could this be the same movie Lisa wrote for the studio?

Devin gives the impression this is possibly the direction that project could be going. And provides us with a list of possible characters that could team-up together in the film. They include Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat (currently played by Felicity Jones), Spider-Girl (I'm hoping for Ayna Cortez), Silver Sable, Cindy Moon (Silk) and even possibly Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman). The latter would be a giant slap in the face to Marvel, because the character rights might belong to Sony. But Jessica has extremely strong ties to Hydra, SHIELD and The Avengers.

The brand new Spidey character Silk is mentioned, and could be a way to get around the issue of Jessica Drew. Considering that Marvel might try to block the use of her, or the character might fall-under some sort of shared rights. It's doubtful Sony will want to share any of these characters with Marvel. Cindy Moon is also one of the many ladies who becomes romantically involved with Peter Parker. It doesn't hurt that Cindy is an Asian-American superhero, and would make her the first mainstream female superhero played by a visible minority. Marvel Comics is also giving the character her own series, which speaks volumes.

We've all assumed that Felicia Hardy could the lead of the film, but Cindy could make a lot more sense. Considering her powers, backstory and connection to Park could make a better candidate for spin-offs and solo adventures. Having a female version of Spider-Man is great way to move forward, and help develop the franchise to modern times. As we're seeing studios begin to embrace the era of the female heroine.

There are plenty of actresses that could be excellent for the role. Brenda Song from 21 Jump Street and The Social Network comes to mind. However, I'm sure Sin City A Dame To Kill For and Sucker Punch actress Jaime Chung would get huge support. Previously, working with Andrew Garfield might make Brenda the stronger candidate. While Jaime has an excellent track record of action roles, and has a decent level of awareness. She's even voicing a Marvel character for Disney's Big Hero 6.

Sony got the jump on both Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. with their intentions being revealed months before Wonder Woman coming June 2017 and Captain Marvel coming July 2018 were announced. If the film does happen and is released in 2017, it could be our first modern mainstream female-led superhero film. While most are cynical about the prospect of Sony making more Spidey movies. At least, this might be our first out-the-gate modern mainstream female superhero movie. Still, this seems a bit more interesting than trying to give us a entire feature film set around Venom.





Black Cat is seemingly the only real lock here, since the character was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 2 as working for Oscorp. Talented actress Felicity Jones plays her, and it's expected she'll develop into the cat burglar turned Spidey partner eventually.

The question most might ask is are there enough villains to go around? I'm sure that some of the these characters could be introduced or even become the heroic leads in Sinister Six. The straight-answer is that there are plenty of villains besides those six.

Ones that are seemingly absent from future plans include Carnage, Scorpion, Chameleon, The Jackal, Kaine, Wilson Fisk (apparently shared with Marvel), Hobgoblin, Tombstone, The Shocker, Hammerhead, Sandman and Morbius (along with Venom was teased in Amazing Spider-Man 2). It's apparent that Sony has access to a huge list of rogues to use for future movies.

Along with plenty of female villains such as Elaine Coll (Scorpia), Frances Barrison (Shriek), Donna Deigo (Scream), Anastasia Kravinoff (Grim Huntress and daughter of Kraven) and extremely obscure Delilah (Spider-Man's long-lost villainous sister). Donna over at HitFix actually wrote a stellar article mapping-out all the excellent unused female villains of the Spider-Man comics. Here's hoping we see of couple them show-up, sooner rather than later.

These world-building films aren't terrible ideas, but the fan base is already fed-up with Sony and are wishing Marvel would just takeover. I think if we go into these two films with low-expectations and maybe they'll surprise us. Writing-off the entire idea without hearing directing and casting information is a bit premature, since we would be getting the heroines we've been asking before Marvel and DC does.

Will Sony actually follow-through with this project? And do you think it's a good idea to expand the franchise this way?

SOURCE: BADASSDIGEST

RUMOR: Sony Allowing Spider-Man To Join Marvel Cinematic Universe And Will Recast For SINISTER SIX?

I'm going to be up-front, the following is a rumor and flagged as such by the source. HitFix is saying they are "hearing" but can't currently verify, that Sony is considering Spider-Man to join Marvel's Cinematic Universe. Let's be clear nothing is happening, these are only rumblings that Sony is thinking about this. Below is what Drew had to say about this rumor. 

"While I can't get the confirmations I need to verify the story, I'm hearing that there are some very cool "Spider-Man" plans being discussed that would help Sony refocus their enormously important franchise while also opening up some connections in the onscreen Marvel movie universe that would blow fandom's minds. Will it work out? I don't know. I would love to be able to state for sure that it's happening. What seems clear from what I've heard is that Marvel wants to be able to play with all of their characters, and if they can make that work creatively and on a corporate level, they will, and that means the world gets bigger again."

Adding fuel to the fire, BadassDigest is claiming that Sony is going even further and recasting the role for Drew Goddard's Sinister Six. That would mean Andrew Garfield would be out and that we'll see a third actor portraying Peter Parker. Also, Alex Kurtzman's Venom spin-off is apparently dead (that really came out of nowhere). Neither of these have been confirmed by Sony, but Devin has a good track record with this sort of stuff. Here's what Devin is hearing about Sony's bizarre Spider-Man plans. 

- Sony is going to soft reboot Spider-Man with The Sinister Six, having a new actor playing a Spidey who works with the villains The Dirty Dozen style to take down a larger threat. 

- Sony is going to put Spider-Man on the shelf for four or five years and see if they can develop any of the side characters into their own franchises. 

I've also heard that Venom is functionally dead again.

Don't get the impression that we'll be seeing Spidey swinging around in Age of Ultron, because it's too late in the game to add him into the main film. However, it's not out of the question to have him involved with Easter Eggs, via digital shots or props within the film. Having one of the Avengers reading The Daily Bugle might be just enough to give fans something to strive for. Button scenes are likely to leak via sites like LatinoReview, so it's doubtful they'll add him to one of those. 

This could be the shot-in-the-arm for a franchise that is quickly losing it's support from fans and audiences alike. While Amazing Spider-Man remains to be popular overseas, the returns are diminishing with each installment domestically. Not the best sign of a healthy superhero franchise. The second film failed to connect with audiences, and Sony delayed production on Amazing Spider-Man 3. Instead, they're moving forward with Sinister Six and an untitled female-led spin-off (Blackcat?). Devin states that Spider-Man (played by a new actor) will be in Sinister Six, but that might be the last we see of him for a while. As Sony might be putting an immediate holt to Amazing Spider-Man 3, for a couple of years. 

All this sounds like Sony is scrambling to figure out how to keep this franchise alive, and rushing into a third film doesn't seem to be apart of these plans. Having Spider-Man be apart of Captain America 3 (rumored to have elements of Civil War) or Avengers 3 could mend those bridges with fans. The studio doesn't seem to know what to do, but having Marvel help-out is the best case scenario. Since, it's very unlikely Sony will sell back the rights. This could end-up being more of a case of how Marvel is able to use/share characters like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver with Fox. 

On our part, we know that Sony's relationship with Marvel is a bit less cantankerous than it is with Fox. Even though Marvel's Kevin Feige remains good friends with X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner. The studio itself seems to butt-heads with Marvel on character details. It was rumored that Marvel wasn't willing to allow the Deadpool movie to be rated-R. Considering he's one of the more popular characters and does feature in their comics, video games and cartoons. You can't blame them, but it kind of shows how much say Marvel still has with these projects. These heated studio conflicts haven't dampened Lauren and Hugh Jackman's wiliness to join the Cinematic Universe. Jackman an X-Men producer himself, has also called for Wolverine and Spidey to join the ranks. 

SOURCE: HITFIX BADASSDIGEST

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY's Karen Gillan Wants To Play A Web-Slinging Marvel Heroine

Scottish actress Karen Gillan spoke to SFX and mentioned that she wants a crack at playing Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman. I think a large percentage of Spidey fans are now currently fan-casting her as the new Mary Jane Watson, for Amazing Spider-Man 3. However, here's a little bit of what I think of this extremely cool idea.

If you could play a superhero, which one would you choose?Yeah, who is there…? I want to play a version of Spider-Man that’s a lady.

Spider-Woman?Spider-Woman – does she exist?

There’s a Spider-Woman and a Spider-Girl.I want to play Spider-Girl!

Let's try to forget that producer Avi Arad has been hard-headed when it comes to the Spider-Man franchise, and closing-the-door for characters like Ben Reilly and Miles Morles to take-up the mantle. This didn't seem to rule-out lady versions of the character showing-up eventually. We know that Felicia Hardy (Felicity Jones) is already been established in the last installment, so anti-heroine Black Cat is on the horizon. We've never really seen a female heroine in the Spider-Man franchise, while the studio has access to many of these characters. Sony would be mad not even consider partnering Parker with a female counterpart, other than Hardy. These characters include May Parker the first Spider-Girl, redhead Anya Corazon the second Spider-Girl (happens to have the best costume of the bunch which is very similar to Arachne's).

A couple might also might in the hands of Marvel Studios, which seems to lend themselves to more supporting female characters and a greater chance of this happening. The original Spider-Woman who is Jessica Drew, is very likely not in control by Sony but Marvel Studios. As the character has origins in other comics, ties to Hydra and very little connection to the Spider-Man universe.

Julia Carpenter is the second Spider-Woman and like Jessica Drew has ties to The Avengers and most importantly is involved in the Civil War comics which is expected to play a role sometime in the MCU. Julia is also known as Arachne, which could be a great way to get around the whole confusion of calling the heroine Spider-Woman and getting her confused with the Spider-Man franchise.

However, considering she's playing an action-driven role as villainess Nebula in Guardians of The Galaxy, anything is possible. We've seen actors like Ryan Reynolds, Ray Stevenson and Idris Elba play multiple Marvel roles, so this wouldn't be unheard-of. Considering she is almost unrecognizable as Nebula, it wouldn't be impossible for Marvel Studios or Sony to place her in another future role.

SOURCE: SFX

MAJOR SPOILERS: What Could We Expect To See In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3?

It's a bit early for a write-up like this, but since a majority of the international markets are getting the film early. I decided to get his out of the way. I'm sure I missed a bunch of tidbits that were teased in Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, I have a few theories and ideas of where the third installment could be going. I'm not reviewing the film, but there are major plot SPOILERS contained in the explanations. You've been been warned!

SINISTER SIX: While it was assumed that Electro was going to be one of the six members, Max doesn't make it out alive. His return isn't very likely, and I assume that Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard will be reluctant to join the villainous team. At the end of the first film we see Curt pleading the shadowy figure to leave Peter allow, I doubt they'll be able to convince him to kill Spider-Man.

It looks like Harry Osborn and his shadowy friend are using "willing" hired guns to operate the Oscorp tech. Breaking Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich out of prison to operate the Rhino mech-suit, at the end of the movie. Considering a majority of the tech is robotics, I'm starting to believe that this shadowy man might be in fact Dr. Spencer Smythe. A notorious robotics engineer who has a grudge against Spider-Man, creating the Spider Slayers. His son Alistair has already been revealed as working for Oscorp and is played by B.J. Novac. Currently, the Sinister Six lineup includes Goblin, Doc Ock, Vulture and The Rhino. I won't rule out The Lizard entirely, but it's possible from the poor reception of the character, they might not bring him back.

FELICIA HARDY/BLACK CAT: It's revealed that indeed Felicity Jones is playing Felicia Hardy, and works for Oscorp as an assistant to Norman Osborn. It's unknown where her loyalties lay, but starting her off as a villain wouldn't be hard to see. Hardy's father was a famous cat bugler, who worked for Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk. Felicia would eventually take a position at Fisk Enterprises, something that was mirrored with her employment at Oscorp. Considering that Mary Jane Watson might not even be featured in Amazing Spider-Man 3, originally played by Shailene Woodley (completed cut-out of the films and eventually recast). It's possible we could see Parker and Hardy become an item, before Mary Jane enters the picture. This wouldn't be going against the comics, since Black Cat and Spider-Man did briefly date.

Black Cat is the type of Spidey character the franchise needs. Considering we've never had a female villain in the franchise. And we know that Sam Raimi had originally intended to use the Black Cat (played by Anne Hathaway) in his never-filmed Spider-Man 4. Female characters are rare in this franchise, let alone ones that play both villain and hero. If Sony is looking for spin-offs a Black Cat film could be spot-on. Producers have been talking non-traditional lineups for the Sinister Six, adding a female character like Hardy into the mix would mess with the boys-only supervillain group.

DR. ALISTAIR SMYTHE/SPIDER SLAYER: B.J. Novac is revealed to be Dr. Alistair Smythe in the film, and is the son of notorious villain Spencer Smythe (possible identity of the shadowy figure), who invents the Spider Slayers. These are group of robots who are programmed to hunt, capture and or kill Spider-Man. Alistair himself is turned into one of these Slayers, as he's eventually becomes a cyborg. I'm not sure that's a route they'll want to go, but that door is a possibility. I still think that Spencer is the one who built, the Vulture wings and Ock's arms. Basically, becoming an evil version of Lucius Fox, providing all the robotics and bio-tech weapons he needs. Smythe could fall into the realm of an untraditional member of the Sinister Six, if they go that way. It's very possible he could end-up becoming the new Doctor Octopus.

MACDONALD GARGAN/SCORPION/VENOM: The Venom symbiote has been revealed to be an Oscorp experiment, and could easily join the ranks of The Sinister Six. It's possible we could see a new origin of Venom, but since he's getting his own spin-off movie, that could be saved for another film. The producers haven't actually revealed which host Venom will be using, my assumption is that they could end up using either MacDonald Gargan or Flash Thompson. The Gargan version of Venom worked for Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, which could be another untraditional Sinister Six member. Plus, Mac has a long history fighting against Spider-Man as the villain Scorpion.

Having Mac start out in the Scorpion suit then having his ass handed to him by Spidey. Could fuel his anger to go a little more extreme than the other members, by bonding with the Venom symboite. At the end of the film seeing the government using it for their own means, with Flash Thompson as the host could be the way to go. Flash taking the more heroic role of Venom, recently in the comics. It's less likely we'll see the return of Eddie Brock, since that version has already been done by Raimi. Marc Webb and Sony have been seemingly trying to reinvent the villains, so not using Brock as Venom might be a good creative move. Since characters like Gargan and Thompson (a disabled veteran turned superhero) have stronger stories and arcs than Eddie.

SERGEI KRAVINOFF/KRAVEN THE HUNTER: We're starting to see that some characters from the video game tie-ins are making their way into the sequels. Felicia Hardy and Alistair Smythe were featured characters in The Amazing Spider-Man Game, and would eventually have small roles in Amazing Spider-Man 2. It's plausible to think that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Game, could have a similar trend. In the new game we see notorious Spidey villain Kraven The Hunter, playing mentor rather than antagonist. Parker is going to need his own team-mates, if he's going up against The Sinister Six. Kraven might have been originally a member of the Six, but we've heard from producers the lineup won't be entirely traditional.

In the Ultimate comics (which the new movies are sort of based on), Sergei is an Australian (rather than Russian) reality TV host. Who wants to hunt and kill Spider-Man live on television to boost his ratings. His family has many links to Spider-Man as well his half-brother just happens to be spy for hire  and master of disguise, Dmitri Smerdyakov better known as The Chameleon. His offspring (which includes two sons and a daughter) also took up his mantle. If we do see Kraven, the writers could make him friend or foe. Sergei is one of the most popular Spidey characters, and it's shocking they haven't used him in the movies.

WILSON FISK/KINGPIN: Like Kraven, Wilson Fisk of Fisk Enterprises is featured heavily in the new video game. In the game Fisk and Oscorp start to work together, in some sort of merger. Marvel's Kevin Feige has revealed that they share the Kingpin rights, as the villain is equally known as a Spider-Man baddie as he is a Daredevil villain. We've seen Oscorp take-up a majority of threat for the city, but it would be interesting to see Osborn working alongside Fisk. Organized crime has always been apart of the Spider-Man comics, and not including that might change in the future. Fisk could have employed people like Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich (The Rhino), Herman Schultz (Shocker), Lonnie Thompson Lincoln (Tombstone) and crime lord rival Hammerhead.

Fisk is also the reason Felicia Hardy gets her Black Cat powers, and the two might be tied-together (at one point Felicia works for Wilson), if Sony wants to eventually turn Hardy into Black Cat. Although, they've been messing around with origins lately, so changing Black Cat's origins as well wouldn't be surprising.

DR. MICHAEL MORBIUS: I'm not entirely sure if the Easter Egg with Morbius in the film was nothing more than just that, a tease. I haven't actually seen anything that suggests that, Sony has the rights to use Morbius in their films (as a vampire, he could be directly connected with Blade movie rights, which included all Marvel vampire characters) and have the intention to do so if they did. Showing up at the end of the original Blade film (in an alternate ending), could mean the character is either at Marvel Studios or shared with Sony (Kevin Feige hasn't confirmed this). He is a cool and complex character, that has spin-off potential and would make a cool team-up parter for Parker. I'm sure Marvel Studios would want to use Morbius, if they ever put together Midnight Sons or Legion of Monsters movies.

It's also established that since the Connors innocent, they've scrapped the animal divisions at Oscorp, so it's unknown if Michael is even still doing research at the company. This suggests we'll see less animal-spliced (Eels/Electro and Lizard/Connors) characters in future films. That could exclude Morbius and his bat experiments, that led him to turn himself into living vampiric creature.

SINISTER SIX And VENOM Happening Before SPIDER-MAN 4, Is One Coming In 2018?

It looks like the Spider-Man spin-offs are now high priority at Sony, only with Spider-Man 3. How important are they? Well Sony's Matt Tolmach told DenOfGeek they are putting Amazing Spider-Man 4 on hold, until they figure out what they are doing with Amazing Spider-Man 3, Venom and The Sinister Six. Focusing their energies on making the two spin-offs before the fourth installment.

"Before we know what we do with Spider-Man 4, we're going to do Sinister Six, Venom and Spider-Man 3. There is going to be a lot of crossover in those movies. So we're just not at Spider-Man 4, because we still have a whole other Spider-Man movie and two other movies. So we don't know yet what [Spider-Man 4] is going to be" 

The third movie is still set for release in June 2016, but Venom and Sinister Six are happening before the fourth movie. Given that that spot is highly valued at Sony, either three could take the May 2018 spot. Bumping-up the spin-offs to 2016 and 2017, before Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2018 could make for an interesting third film. As it stands Drew Goddard (Daredevil, World War Z, Cabin In The Woods) is writing and directing The Sinister Six, while Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek 1-2, Lost, Transformers) will be writing and directing Venom. Marc Webb is expected to direct Spider-Man 3, but has not committed to making the fourth film.

SOURCE: DENOFGEEK

Sony Announces Directors For VENOM And SINISTER SIX Spin-Off Films

Sony announced today that they will indeed be moving forward with two Amazing Spider-Man spin-off movies, Venom which has been in development for years and one focusing the villain supergroup The Sinister Six. They went on to confirm new writers and directors for both projects, this comes off the recent reports that Sony was hinting to creating their own expanded Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Spider-Man characters.

Director Marc Webb and producer Avi Arad will head up the brain trust of the franchise which will see Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner (Fringe, Alias, Lost), Ed Solomon (Men In Black, Super Mario Bros, Charlie's Angels, Bill And Ted, Now You See Me) and Drew Goddard (Cabin In The Woods, Daredevil)  pen the scripts for the films, Kurtzman and Orci currently are involved with Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), Amazing Spider-Man 3 (2016) and Amazing Spider-Man 4 (2017). Nothing says this trust will stop at two spin-off films as there are plenty of characters that could get their own movies such as Black Cat, Morbius The Living Vampire (if they own the rights to him) and future set Spider-Man 2099 (think Star Trek Into Darkness or Minority Report with superheroes).

Alex Kurtzman is actually attached to direct Venom, which is a bit of a shocker since he's only made one film People Like Us, that didn't do so well with critics or box office as it wasn't able to even make back it's tiny $16 million dollar budget (even though Star Trek's Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks starred). Josh Trank (Chronicle) had originally been attached to direct but his commitments to Fox's Fantastic Four reboot might have led to his replacement. It also sounds like the studio is tossing the script from Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Zombieland). Alex has been better known as an accomplished writer helping pen scripts for Hercules, Xena, Alias, The Island, The Legend of Zorro, MI3, Transformers, Star Trek, Cowboys And Aliens, Fringe and Edge of Tomorrow. It will be interesting to see which host they'll turn to for the movie, Eddie Brock has been established with the viral campaign but the more heroic Flash Thompson is the current incarnation of the villain turned hero.

While Drew Goddard will direct The Sinister Six, this not being his first venture into the Marvel world. He's currently working on Marvel Studios' Daredevil Netflix pilot that he'll write and direct, Drew will also act as the series Showrunner. Besides being a writer at Lost, Drew co-wrote Cabin In The Woods with Joss Whedon which he also directed. Not unlike Alex, he has a longstanding record as a writer also helping pen scripts for Buffy, Angel, Lost, Alias, Cloverfield (and it's untitled) sequel along with last-minute rewrites to World War Z.

The final lineup hasn't been revealed but it looks like Harry/Green Goblin will be it's leader, as it's been teased he's behind creating the villains (such as Electro and Rhino). Other additions could include The Vulture, Doc Ock and possibly a cat-burglar with a bit of sweet-spot for Spider-Man. There had been previous hints that Black Cat could be involved with the group, if she does make the cut in this spin-off it might set her up as Spidey's side-kick/love interest in future films. It's possible that other members such as Kraven The Hunter or Mysterio won't be hinted to or cameo in the film.



No release or production start dates have been announced but it's possible we could see one of two spin-offs eye an 2015 release date. As 2015 won't have a Spider-Man title released in that year.

Paul Giamatti Will Return As The Rhino In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3, Giving The Impression That Sinister Six Is Indeed The Plan

Paul Giamatti confirms to Collider that he'll be returning for Amazing Spider-Man 3 and not as sure about Amazing Spider-Man 4. There have been rumblings that the Sinister Six would be the major plot point in Amazing Spider-Man 3. Having a team of villains going up against Spidey could be something fans are dying to see on screen. We've been hearing about Sinister Six since news of the reboot first starting coming out. Making this not a new revelation but interesting none the less.

The villains currently shown or attached to the new franchise include The Lizard, Electro, The Rhino and Green Goblin. Adrian Tombs aka The Vulture (Colm Feore) has also been rumored as showing up in the second film but nothing confirmed. Another couple of candidates include Kraven The Hunter, The Chameleon and Mysterio. It's also up in the air if Dr. Connors will reprise his evil ways or will be stuck in prison reforming himself. We honestly don't know what they final Sinister Six lineup will be and might even include Black Cat (Felicity Jones?).

Sony Rehires AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Writers To Work On AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 Script

THR reports that Sony has hired screenwriters to start work on Amazing Spider-Man 3. They've brought back Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner, who wrote Amazing Spider-Man 2. Nothing is really known about the third film for sure, but it's been hinted that the death of Gwen, Green Goblin, an introduction to Mary Jane Watson and The Sinister Six could be involved. The film will be released on June 10th, 2016 with Andrew Garfield and others expected to reprise their roles.

Sarah Gadon Confirms Joining THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Franchise, Is She Playing Mary Jane Watson?

ETCanada has confirmation that Canadian actress Sarah Gadon has indeed joined Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man franchise. It was reported earlier today by MovieWeb that Gadon would be replacing Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson in the sequels starting with Amazing Spider-Man 3. As Woodley's commitments to Divergent sequels likely conflicted with the production of Amazing Spider-Man 3. The third installment would greatly focus on Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. While it's confirmed she's apart of the franchise her role has yet to be. It's very possible she's playing MJ but there are many ladies in Peter's life including good friends like Liz Allan, Betty Brant and Felicia Hardy (Black Cat). Felicity Jones is rumored for the latter but again her part hasn't been revealed either.

Huge news for @sarahgadon - she just confirmed to us that she is joining The Amazing Spider-Man franchise pic.twitter.com/HpRcAMhQGU
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) June 21, 2013

Shailene Woodley's Scenes Cut From AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 And Is Mary Jane Watson Being Recast?

It's starting to look like Shailene Woodley won't be playing Mary Jane Watson afterall. While it was announced today that Woodley's small amount of scenes shot for Amazing Spider-Man 2 have been cut from the film. THR adds that the actress won't be reprising the role again and MJ will be recast. Originally, MJ was going to have a small cameo in the second film setting her up for a larger role in Amazing Spider-Man 3 coming in 2016 and Amazing Spider-Man 4 in 2018. It's quite possible her commitments to other films including the budding Divergent franchise might have come into play as well.

It's currently unknown if the studio is indeed looking at another actresses to play MJ. There isn't official confirmation on who exactly Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) will be playing in Amazing Spider-Man 2. There had been speculation that Jones would be playing Felicia Hardy/Black Cat. However, with the news that Woodley is exiting it's very possible Felicity could in fact end up playing Mary Jane instead.

Sony Confirms AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 (2016) And AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 4 (2018) Are Being Released

Sony has confirmed that they are setting release dates for Amazing Spider-Man 3 (June 10th 2016) and Amazing Spider-Man 4 (May 4th 2018). We've been hearing rumblings of Amazing Spider-Man 3 already on the books for the studio which could lead to Green Goblin alongside the Sinister Six. However, this is the first time hearing about further plans of a fourth film.

No word if they've signed director Marc Webb for the two sequels but it's very likely they've already made a deal. Andrew Garfield is expected to be locked in as Spidey and it's up in the air who else will be returning from Amazing Spider-Man 2. This seems like to combat previous talk that Sony's financial problems could lead the studio to sell the Spider-Man rights. Opening a small chance that Marvel/Disney could reclaim Spidey for the MCU.

Nathan Fillion Wants To Play A SPIDER-MAN Villain?

Fans have been dying to see Nathan Fillion play a Marvel superhero with rumors of him being in the running for Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and Peter Quill (Starlord). Nathan was asked on Twitter if he had his choice which Marvel character would he play? His answer was surprising as he names Spidey villain Mac Gargan (Scorpion). Considering the massive amount of villains already expected for Amazing Spider-Man 2 it's possible Marc Webb could seriously take him up on this. You might remember Paul Giamatti went on Conan to campaign for the role of The Rhino and ened up playing him in this upcoming sequel.

“@andyemcadam: @nathanfillionif you could play any character in an up and coming marvel film?”The Scorpion. Boom.
— Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) April 12, 2013

RUMOR: Dane DeHaan And Josh Trank Re-Teaming For Venom Spin-Off?

CBM is reporting on a possible rumor that could see Chronicle star Dane DeHaan and director Josh Trank re-team for the Venom spin-off. They claim that Sony hired Dane for the Harry Osborn role which would lead to him starring in Venom. Instead of having Eddie Brock Jr. or Flash Thompson Sony could be looking for a more developed and recognizable Spider-Man supporting character like Harry to become Venom. This is expected to be slowly introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and would lead to the Harry becoming the anti-hero in his own spin-off. No word if Venom will come out before or after Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Venom has been in development for a while now at Sony with Josh Trank attached to direct. A script has been in place written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland, G.I. Joe: Retaliation). At one point Garry Ross was going to direct but exited to focus on The Hunger Games instead. Trank would eventually attach himself to the project along with Fox's Fantastic Four reboot. The latter is expected to go into production first with Matthew Vaughn recently joining the reboot as it's producer along with another writer finishing up the script. It will be interesting to see which Venom Sony ends up going with either the classic Eddie version or the new gun toting Flash take.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 Confirmed By Sony?

Collider has got ahold of Sony's official press release for actor Dane DeHaan joining the cast of Amazing Spider-Man 2. The new bit is that the headline of the release has "AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TRILOGY" which is the first time Sony has confirmed there will be three films. Giving us the impression the studio is already working on plans for Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Director Marc Webb has teased that this is a three part story but nothing had been set in stone. No word on a release date but Amazing Spider-Man 3 come out around May 2016. Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness) have jumped into the franchise with Amazing Spider-Man 2. I'd assume if the studio is happy with their script I'm sure they'll be on board for the third installment as well.

Shailene Woodley Confirmed For Mary Jane In SPIDER-MAN 2 And SPIDER-MAN 3

THR is confirming the previous rumblings that actress Shailene Woodley had been wanted for Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. It's looks like a deal could be made and she would have a brief appearance in Amazing Spider-Man 2 leading to a take over of the love interest role in Amazing Spider-Man 3.