Sony Sets Spider-Man Spinoffs With New “Franchise Brain Trust”

Sony Sets Spider-Man Spinoffs With New “Franchise Brain Trust”

Michael Lynton said last month that they intended to create “a bigger universe around Spider-Man” and today Sony Pictures  had a new webslinging big bang. “Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with Marvel Entertainment, is developing several new projects in the Spider-Man franchise, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to collaborate on overseeing the developing story over several films that will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach,” announced the studio today via the tucked away ElectroArrives.com, Spider-Man 2 related website. Spider-Man reboot 1 & 2 director Marc Webb will join the five scribes and two producers in what Sony is terming “a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films.”

Related:
Sony Plans More Spider-Man Sequels & Spinoffs But  Still No Marvel Reunion
Hot Trailer: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

For a studio that’s trimming back film output it is a pretty big expansion but then again the 4-movie Spidey franchise has made $ 3.2 billion worldwide so far for Sony/Columbia since it started in 2002 â€" and that’s without the expected blockbuster of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that starts its international rollout on April 16, 2014 and debuts Stateside on May 2, 2014. Besides Spider-Man 3, which is expected to come out on June 10, 2016 and Sony wants Webb to helm, Venom and a Sinister Six movies are also on the way. Kurtzman, Orci and Solomon will pen the screenplay for the former starring the black suited anti-Spider-man baddie with Kurtzman to direct. Played by Topher Grace, Venom appeared in 2007′s Spider-Man 3. Goddard will write and likely helm the latter, which features the franchise’s bad guys. Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the op portunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story,” said Columbia boss Doug Belgrad in a statement tonight with Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio. One way or another, looks like Peter Parker and his pals just got very busy for the long haul.

Related: Drew Goddard Suits Up For Neflix’s ‘Daredevil’

Deadline.com