Sony’s Columbia Pictures joined in the release date frenzy this week and followed Marvel Studios’ lead in staking its claim on several upcoming weekends for its next big superhero projects.
In an announcement made on the first day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, Sony declared November 11, 2016, as the release date for Sinister Six, the upcoming villain team-up movie from writer/director Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield). While the premiere date for that film — which will bring back some of the villains from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 along with a few new additions — is certainly a big deal, perhaps the bigger news is that the release date for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 has been pushed all the way back to 2018.
The third installment of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise was initially expected to hit theaters in June 2016, but that release date has now shifted to Uncharted, Sony’s upcoming live-action movie based on the critically acclaimed game franchise. Given that Sinister Six seems a bit further along in the production process than The Amazing Spider-Man 3, the decision to release the villain-centric film first makes sense, but the new scheduling could make for a long wait for Spider-fans eager to see Andrew Garfield return as the famous webslinger.
“With Sinister Six in the hands of writer-director Drew Goddard, we feel extremely confident placing the film on a prime date in 2016,” said Doug Belgrad, President of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, in a statement accompanying the announcement.
It’s worth noting that the release date for Sinister Six puts it right between the third Captain America movie and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice on one end, with both premiering May 6, 2016, and another unidentified Marvel Studios movie (most likely Doctor Strange) scheduled to premiere July 8, 2016.
Basically, 2016 is going to be a busy year for superhero movies.
