While it's been rumored and suggested for quite some time now that Sony has an interest in expanding their Amazing Spider-Man universe into spin-off films, today we have our first confirmation from the studio of what specific character these films will be centered on. And these two films are none other than a Sinister Six film based around the team-up of Spider-Man enemies, as well as a solo film focusing on the fan favorite villain/antihero Venom. Not only did the studio reveal what properties they are hoping to expand upon, but they've also revealed who will be writing and directing these films.
You can read the studio's full press release
here. So first to the less shocking news, yes,
Sony is finally getting a
Venom solo movie off the ground. The studio's been interested in the project since the character first appeared in Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man 3, but as we all know, that didn't exactly go as planned. Since then the film has been through constant rewrites, and tossed along to numerous directors including Gary Ross (
The Hunger Games), and more recently Josh Trank (
Chronicle). Well in the press release the studio reveals that
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will be writing the film, with Kurtzman taking on directing duties. Kurtzman made his directional debut just two years ago with the film
People Like Us, which starred Chris Pine (
Star Trek) and Elizabeth Banks (
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), and was relatively well received by critics.
Of course
Sony has yet to reveal any details on what direction there going in with the film, but the main question is who will be
Venom, and mean that in more ways than one. There's been three characters throughout the comics who have donned the symbiote, the most well known being Eddie Brock, who was previously played by Topher Grace in
Spider-Man 3. Then there's Mac Gargan, previously known as
Spider-Man's enemy Scorpion, who eventually took on the symbiote after Brock and became the new
Venom. And then there's the most recent antihero version of the character, who's actually referred to as 'Agent Venom' and under the suit is Flash Thompson (Currently played by Chris Zylka in
The Amazing Spider-Man series) who is given the symbiote after loosing both limbs while at war.
That being said it's likely that
Sony is looking to introduce the
Venom character as an antihero that can serve as an interesting contrast to
Spider-Man, and could be used as an ally for the web slinger to have on his side in future films. While the Agent Venom version of the character seems slightly more likely than the other two, there's a lot of potential in the Eddie Brock character and his dynamic with Peter Parker, as in the Ultimate comics (Which the series has been following closely so far) both of the character's fathers create the symbiote together. If the short film
Truth in Journalism (Starring
True Blood's Ryan Kwanten as Brock) that debuted this summer is anything to go by, Brock's sure to at least be a consideration for the protagonist in the film. I'd personally would love to see Kwanten in the part, or even Kurtzman's frequent collaborator Chris Pine.
But now for probably the more shocking half of
Sony's announcement, the upcoming
Sinister Six film which will be written by Drew Goddard (
Cabin in the Woods). Goddard is a great talent for Sony to bring on board, especially if he does indeed take up the director's chair like the studio's hoping he will, but interestingly enough it was recently announced that he'd be working on
Marvel Studio's upcoming
Daredevil TV show for
Netflix. While it's still unknown how his involvement with both projects will pan it, it's likely that we shouldn't expect
Sony to get the ball rolling on the
Sinister Six film till after the
Daredevil series has made it's debut, and Goddard's schedule will presumably by clear.
There's a lot of potential for a solo
Sinister Six film, which would be focused on the ensemble of
Spider-Man's worst foes, which could work as something of a contrast to
The Avengers team-up. It'll most likely follow a similar structure to
The Avengers, with separate moments for each villain character to shine, and of course a common threat for all of them to wail on during the film's climatic battle (In this case
Spider-Man himself). That being said, probably the most important question is what villains will be featured in the
Sinister Six.
Spider-Man has a wide selection of rogues to chose from, and the
Sinister Six line-up has always been shifting throughout the comics, so Goddard can decide to go with just about anyone. But judging by recent easter eggs seen in the second film's trailer, we can likely expect Doctor Octopus and Vulture, and perhaps even villains that have already appeared in the series (Specifically Lizard, Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino).
So what do you think of Sony making Sinister Six and Venom movies? Which Venom would you like to see in the film? What members of the Sinister Six do you hope will be featured? Sound off below.
