Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, you’re likely more than aware of this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which finds the titular web-slinger (Andrew Garfield) facing off against a villainous triumvirate including Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Rhino (Paul Giamatti) and the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan). What you may be less aware of, however, is that Sony is already deep into planning for future installments of their superhero franchise. Now, the studio has confirmed some details of their plans for 2016’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3 as well as future films.
First and foremost, The Amazing Spider-Man helmer Marc Webb, who also directed this summer’s sequel, is now officially attached to direct the third installment. Webb’s work on the series, most noticeably involving his addition of teen angst and underlying darkness to the franchise, has received widespread acclaim, and Sony clearly wants to keep him around for as long as possible. Given that Sam Raimi directed all three installments of his Spider-Man trilogy, it’s not that surprising that Webb has been secured early for this third film. Additionally, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner were all tapped to begin writing the third installment last year.
What’s less clear is whether Webb will have a future with the franchise after the third film. Sony has been open about its eagerness to build a superhero universe not unlike Marvel’s, and they’ve already scheduled The Amazing Spider-Man 4 for May of 2018. Another big question mark is Garfield; the actor will likely want to move on at some point, and given that Sony is already four years ahead and shows no signs of slowing down, he’ll probably put the brakes on some of their machinations in the near future. Currently, he’s only signed for The Amazing Spider-Man 3.
Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal recently discussed the future of the series with Variety, confirming the studio’s plan to release a Spider-Man movie every year. Though that sounds completely exhausting, it could work (maybe) as long as Sony has enough strong stories to tell. Unless the studio moves incredibly quickly, however, it’s expected that this plan will be implemented following the arrival of The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2016. Spinoffs Venom and The Sinister Six were confirmed last December, with Kurtzman set to direct and co-write Venom alongside Orci and Ed Solomon, and The Cabin in the Woods maestro Drew Goddard in to write and direct The Sinister Six. However, Goddard is already committed to Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil miniseries, so there’s a good chance that Venom will be the first project to hit screens, possibly in 2017.
What do you think of Sony’s master plan for the Amazing Spider-Man franchise? Are you loving that we’ll be seeing the webhead on screens long into the foreseeable future, or are you getting tired of Sony pushing the series? Let us know in the comments section.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens May 2nd this year, and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is already set for June 10th, 2016.
