Out of the four studios concerned with comic book movie adaptations, it’s safe to say that Sony is not leading the charge. The studio’s rebooted Spider-Man franchise was ushered in too soon after Sam Raimi’s trilogy wrapped up, and it has suffered dire consequences as a result. If the material had worked and audiences’ interests were suitably piqued, Sony’s eagerness to reboot the webhead would have made no difference. But then The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit – and suffered an onslaught of critical derision, not to mention a dissatisfying box office return. Now, it seems Sony is attempting to beat a dead horse by reviving Spider-Man via an entirely new idea, under the title Glass Ceiling.
According to Badass Digest (via Collider), Sony is rumoured to be developing a new feature that will include a team of female Spider-Men. The idea first landed back in August, when we learned the studio was trying to get a jump on the competition by setting the pic into motion. Since that time, both Warner Bros. and Marvel have added two stand-alone female superhero titles to their upcoming slates: Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. In other words, an all-female superhero pic is less surprising now than it would have been a few months back. Still, it’s worth exploring what Sony might have in store, as this new version will not be based on a specific comic storyline and instead follows an original premise.
While details are of the “take with a pinch of salt” variety, the guys at Badass Digest rustled up a few potential names from the comics who might be involved. The Black Cat, Silver Sable, Spider-Girl, Silk and Spider-Woman are all apparently considered worthy candidates for the pic. At this point, it’s hard to imagine how exactly those characters or the film itself could be incorporated into Sony’s “cinematic universe.” Previously, the studio had planned on another couple of Amazing Spider-Man sequels, Drew Goddard’s Sinister Six and then Alex Kurtzman’s Venom, but the future of those titles is unclear.
Since TASM2, there’s been very little on the radar concerning Sony’s future comic book properties. Of course, talk has recently turned to Marvel regaining the rights to Spider-Man for the big screen, but following this week’s Phase Three bombshell, if that were the case it’d be after 2020. This would give Sony plenty of time to make its mark with Glass Ceiling. While it might be the last female superhero movie announced, it sounds like there’s plenty of scope for it to become a worthy competitor in this crowded cinematic climate.
