The head of Hollywood studio Sony has revealed ambitious plans to release a new Spider-Man film in cinemas every year.
Co-chairman Amy Pascal confirmed the proposal would be implemented by expanding the world of the iconic masked vigilante to include other linked characters the studio owns the rights to. "We are expanding the Spider-Man universe into the Sinister Six and Venom, so that we have Spider-Man movies every year," Pascal told Variety.
Sony has been trying to get a Venom movie off the ground for years, while supervillain team the Sinister Six has been teased during trailers for the latest Spider-Man film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Venom last appeared on screen in 2007's ill-fated Spider-Man 3, a movie that spelled doom for the previously successful Tobey Maguire iteration of the webslinging superhero. An alien symbiote which fuses with both Spider-Man and rival Eddie Brock, the character has featured regularly in Marvel's comic books. Venom is attractive because the character can exist without Spider-Man and has embarked on its own adventures when in sync with Brock.
The Sinister Six has comprised various of Spider-Man's enemies over the years, but a classic lineup might include Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Electro, The Vulture, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter. Any film featuring the supervillain team would most likely also include Spider-Man, since Peter Parker's crimefighting alter ego is their traditional nemesis.
It was revealed in December that Star Trek writer Alex Kurtzman will direct Venom from a screenplay co-written with regular collaborator Roberto Orci, as well as Ed Solomon. The script for the Sinister Six film will be overseen by Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard, who may also direct. The studio has also announced that Marc Webb will return for a third Amazing Spider-Man film after directing the 2012 series reboot and its forthcoming sequel.
The expansion of Spider-Man's universe mirrors the approach of Disney-owned Marvel, which has put at least one new comic book film set in a shared universe into cinemas each year since 2010's Iron Man 2. However, critics might argue that Marvel's ownership of the screen rights to dozens of characters from its own comic book catalogue puts it in a vastly superior position to Sony, which owns only Spider-Man and a handful of related characters.
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