In December, Sony surprised everyone when it issued a press release announcing that Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, Drew Goddard and Marc Webb were all putting their heads together in order to expand the Spider-Man live-action film universe with
Sinister Six and
Venom spin-off films. Sony Pictures hired Kurtzman, Orci and Solomon to pen the
Venom script, with Kurtzman on board to direct it. While
The Sinister Six project will be written and directed by
Cabin In The Woods helmer, Drew Goddard.
After the news was announced most people were surprised by the
Sinister Six film, as they see it as quite a challenge making a film that centers around numerous villains. Producer Matt Tolmach addressed this concern with
SFX.
“It’s a challenge in every sense. Obviously questions of traditional hero/villain dynamics have to be looked at. At the same time it’s an awesome challenge, because some of the greatest characters are in fact villains, and how you construct that is so much fun. People love those bad characters if they’re good bad characters, and love to watch them. And nobody’s all good, nobody’s all bad, and so where we end up with that story, I think, is a really awesome challenge, and we all smile when we think about what you can do. It’s definitely a bad-ass group of people and I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch them.
As for Venom, producer Avi Arad believes there is room to delve into the moral conflicts that have surrounded the character.
“Venom hated only one guy – Spider-Man. He wasn’t innately bad, he was a shortcut guy, not really into fighting hard for achievement. That’s the Venom story. Can he also be a good guy? As you know, Venom was also called ‘lethal defender of the innocent’. We had a great history with him, especially caring for the homeless, which is a very sensitive issue and something that many of us are very concerned with. Our villains all represent a different side of the misunderstood, and some of them unfortunately turned to the dark side. Venom happened to be a phenomenal character. With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn’t matter who is going to be inside the suit – what’s important is that a man like him is going to realise there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and say ‘How did I get here? There must be a better way.’”
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We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.
It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be directed by Marc Webb from a script written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt. The film will star Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Sally Field as Aunt May, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Paul Giamatti as Rhino, Jamie Foxx is Electro and Chris Cooper as Norman Osborn. The Amazing Spider-Man sequel will swing into theaters May 2, 2014.