The Spider-Man franchise is probably one of the only comic book movie franchises whose future is in question at this point. With studios such as DC and Marvel revealing that they have their entire upcoming movie slates mapped out, and Fox surprisingly getting their X-Men films back on track for the near future as well, it's crazy to think one of the world's biggest comic book characters has no upcoming film set in stone at this point. Sony had initially announced a plan for their own cinematic universe, which would kick off with a Sinister Six movie next year, as well as an eventual Venom spin-off. These plans have apparently been put on hiatus after the poor reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with that film's proposed sequels being put into question as well.
The recent array of leaked emails have revealed many possible solutions that Sony is currently considering for the future of the character. The majority of these scenarios are simply just suggestions, and all though none of it has been officially confirmed, it does give us a rough idea of what the studio has in mind. One such scenario would see the studio themselves rebooting the character once more, moving on from director Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield's current series (With the latter rumored to have already been fired by the studio). The studio has an impressive group of director in line for the project which includes the likes of Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible 4), Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee (Frozen), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Don Hall & Chris Williams (Big Hero 6), Phil Lord & Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie), Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki), Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim), David Yates (Harry Potter). This film would feature an older adult Spider-Man, and would closely follow the storyline of the Kraven's Last Hunt story arc.
Of course a lot of those names are more wishful thinking than anything else, but the idea for the reboot is certainly an intriguing one, especially in comparison to another one of their ideas which was to reboot Spider-Man with an animated film (Directed by Lord and Miller). Another scenario would see Sony moving forward with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 with either Phil Lord and Chris Miller or Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) taking over for Webb. It's unknown whether Garfield would return if Sony were to move forward with this idea, especially if those rumors of him being fired due to tension with Sony execs has any truth to them. Amy Pascal and Sony have apparently both suggested the idea of having Sam Raimi (The original Spider-Man trilogy) or the Russo brothers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) come on board to produce the film.
If the latter two were to produce the film, this would seemingly open the door for Marvel Studios to gain the rights to use the wall crawler in their films (A possibility that has been discussed amongst both studios). Apparently initial plans feel through due to lack of agreement on the terms of the deal, with the plan having been for Sony to retain 40% while Marvel would have 60% of the rights (Including profits, creative input, etc.). While the plan was thought to be dead, there still is apparently a chance for the studios to come to terms on some sort of deal. Sony will be holding a Spider-Man summit in January where they'll discuss all these future plans for the character, and ultimately decide on one. Marvel Studios' own Kevin Feige is rumored to attend, with his plan being to reboot Spider-Man without Garfield, and for Sony producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad not to be involved with the film.
The possibility of the Russo's producing a Spider-Man film for either studio seems highly unlikely considering how busy they'll be directing both parts of The Avengers: Infinity Wars. Having said that, the duo will still be responsible for introducing the newly rebooted version of the character. The proposed plan is to introduce Spidey in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War in a cameo appearance where he'd be given the Iron Spider suit by Iron Man, and later make appearances in both Infinity War films, leading to his own solo film. Unlike Sony's plan, Marvel wants a young high school age Spider-Man once again, likely even younger than Garfield's version. Personally I think Tye Sheridan (Mud) would be a good fit, and with a director like Brad Bird at the helm, this possible version of Spider-Man could be the greatest one yet.
We'll keep you posted on any further information pertaining to Sony's plans webhead, but until then which scenario would you prefer for the future of the Spider-Man franchise? Let us know below!
