Spider-Man movie-verse grows with planned Venom, Sinister Six films

By Adam Rosenberg Published December 13, 2013

Films centered on Venom and the Sinister Six are officially in development, the studio confirms. The films will be complimentary to The Amazing Spider-Man films, and are in addition to 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and its confirmed follow-up, both starring Andrew Garfield in the title role. The Venom and Sinister Six films will be the product of a newly established “franchise brain trust” between director Marc Webb, producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, and writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard.

Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner, the trio that wrote The Amazing Spider-Man 2, are set to deliver The Amazing Spider-Man 3 screenplay, which is targeted for release on June 10, 2016. The press release notes that the third Spidey film will “build on the cinematic foundation laid by Webb, Arad, and Tolmach in the first two movies.” There’s no confirmation here, but the way it’s phrased leaves room for Webb, who directed the first and second Amazing films, to step into more of a producer role for the third.

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There’s no timetable for the villain-focused films, but we know how the franchise brain trust’s creative talents are aligning around each. Venom writing duties go to Kurtzman, Orci, and Solomon, with Kurtzman set to direct in his blockbuster debut. The Sinister Six movies falls to Goddard, who will write “with an eye to direct.” This is Goddard’s first collaboration on Sony’s Spider-Man efforts; he is perhaps best known as the writer of Cloverfield and the director/co-writer of Cabin in the Woods. Goddard is also confirmed as the showrunner of the upcoming Daredevil TV show to air on Netflix.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hits theaters on May 2, 2014. The recently released trailer revealed a good bit more of the plot, including the fact that Sinister Six collaborator (from the comics, at least) Green Goblin makes an appearance alongside previously confirmed villains Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti). The trailer is also chock full of nods to the larger Spider-Man universe, all of which takes on new meaning now that we know Venom and Sinister Six efforts are in the works.

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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