Amy Pascal To Produce Future Sony Spider-Man Films

It has been a tough few months at Sony Pictures Entertainment, following the hacking incident in retaliation for The Interview. Amy Pascal, a co-chair at the movie studio, was at the center of many unflattering exchanges revealed through massive leaks of internal memos and documents. Now she has stepped down from her position, but has a new deal to start a production venture at Sony.

Part of this deal includes producing the next Ghostbusters installment and future Spider-Man movies. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, former Columbia Pictures president Matt Tolmach got a similar deal after he left his position.

To her credit, Pascal has been applauded for trying to strike a good balance at the studio between big franchises like Spider-Man and James Bond, and more prestige projects like The Social Network, Breaking Bad (TV), and Zero Dark Thirty.

What does this mean for the Spider-Man franchise? It’s too early to say. There are many cooks in the kitchen for that property. At the very least, it suggests that any hopes of completely relinquishing the rights back to Marvel Studios in the near future are gone. Sony clearly has plans to stick with the property, but we basically knew this already. Pascal’s producing role does not rule out a joint venture with Disney.

Though there is uncertainty about how exactly the franchise is going to move forward, recent reports suggest that Drew Goddard’s Sinister Six is still a go.

What do you think?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

SPIDER-MAN Screenwriter David Koepp Weighs In On How He Would Save The Franchise

We all know how much trouble the Spider-Man franchise is in following the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Sony are said to be mulling over any number of possible ideas to save the series. Talking to Empire Online recently, the writer – David Koepp – of Spider-Man’s FIRST movie (released all the way back in 2002) was asked what he would do if he was handed the keys to the kingdom.

“If I were in charge of Spider-Man right now, and money was no object, I would… (Pauses) Well, now you can see why they are having trouble! (Laughs) Not so easy, is it?

“When I was doing Spider-Man the first time, I remember distinctly having thoughts about three movies, each of a different kind. The way the comic-book lines switched, it was Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man… there were a number of them.

“So rather than try to persue the same course, or any kind of similar tone, you’d have strikingly different tones. The classic Spider-Man, that would be the top-of-the-line, studio Sam Raimi ones, then the Amazing Spider-Man ones, they’d be done for $75-80 million, and have a rougher, edgier, almost R-rated feel to them – if not R-rated, though I don’t think they could ever bring themselves to do that. Tougher, nastier, a rougher look… shorter movies. I don’t like superhero bloat, personally.

“And these series didn’t have to be consecutive, they could be released concurrently. Then I also thought there should be a Spectacular Spider-Man series, because Spider-Man leaves out a large group of its audience. Little kids are fascinated by Spider-Man by the time they are three, or younger. But when I was a kid, I loved the animated series, so I always thought there should be separate lines to cater for different ages of Spider-Man fans.

“And I’d certainly develop other characters in the Spider-Man universe, which is what they are trying to do, I know. Black Cat deserves her own movie series. As for the superhero genre generally now, I am stunned at its viability, its quality, its longevity, and its ability to grow and deepen. I think they’re great. I was so continually wrong about where superhero movies were going that now I am just an audience member, thrilled to see them continue to improve.”

That’s certainly an interesting direction, and possibly one Sony might be considering by having Phil Lord and Chris Miller work on an animated movie presumably at the same time as the live-action ones.

Source: Empire Online

SPIDER-MAN: Sony Pictures Brazil Teases Sinister Six Film

A social media update by Sony Pictures Brazil revealed today that something sinister this way comes.

The Portuguese translation for “Temos Planos Pra Voce… #homemaranha” is “We Have Plans For You…. #Spiderman”

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Post by Sony Pictures.

Does this mean that production for the long awaited Spider-Man spin-off film is underway for its November 2016 release?

Drew Goddard has been tapped to direct the film. Chris Cooper is one of the stars set to appear.

The fate of Sinister Six, the Spider-Man franchise, and Sony Pictures, has been in question in the last few months. Last summer’s Amazing Spider-Man 2 garnered negative reviews and accrued a box office total of $708 million worldwide, making it the lowest grossing and poorest performing film in the series.

While two more sequels for an Amazing Spider-Man movie had been announced, they’ve both been delayed indefinitely.

November’s cyberhack hack by the group, Guardians of Peace, was the proverbial Pandora’s Box for the movie studio. Emails, classified documents, upcoming feature films, personal attacks against celebrities, their families and President Obama were made public online. The studio is still doing damage control.

While the Spider-Man spin-off may be moving forward, Spider-Man himself is still in limbo. As of October 2014, reports indicate Garfield is out of the franchise. Allegedly his criticisms against Sony alienated some powerful figures. Garfield also stood up the company at a corporate dinner in July.

With Garfield gone, it raises the question if Peter Parker will simply be recast or will another web-slinger be introduced? In an interview last year, Garfield supported the idea of introducing fellow Spider-Man, Miles Morales and having him co-exist with Parker or having the torch be passed to the younger super hero.

A Spider-Man spin-off featuring a female lead has also been under consideration by Sony Pictures. Would she debut in the Sinister Six film first?

While the social media update provides a possible answer about the status of the Sinister Six film and the Spider-Man franchise, it also raises more than a few questions.

SPIDER-MAN: Sony Denies SPIDER-MAN/"AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR" Rumour

Spider-man may not appear in “Avengers: Infinity War” after all as ComicbookResource reports.
When reached by ComicBookResource News, a Sony Pictures representative dismissed the report, calling it an “old rumor” with “no validity whatsoever.”

Latino Review’s article stated that a long-discussed deal between Sony and Marvel Studios “went through,” and that Spider-Man would make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in “Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1,” scheduled for release in 2018. The outlet had no further details on the nature of Spidey’s purported appearance, other than the character was also expected to return in 2019’s “Infinity War, Part 2.” The rumors quickly spread to numerous online outlets throughout the day.

Speculation and rumors that Sony and Marvel Studios may be working on a deal to share the live-action Spider-Man rights date back to at least last October, following an Entertainment Weekly report stating the two studios were in “delicate preliminary conversations” on the matter. Much of the subsequent talk centered on Spider-Man possibly appearing in Marvel Studios’ 2016 film “Captain America: Civil War,” in part due to the character’s key role in Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s comic book “Civil War.”

In December, following the illegal hack on Sony, the Wall Street Journal reported on leaked emails between Sony Pictures President Doug Belgrad and Sony Motion Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal discussing a potential deal with Marvel Studios, to help boost the film franchise of the Marvel Comics icon.

While this denial doesn’t preclude the possibility of Sony and Marvel Studios working together in the future, it appears that there’s nothing new on that front as of now. CBR News also reached Marvel Studios parent company Disney on the rumors, who have not responded for now!

SPIDER-MAN: It Seems The Deal Is Done – SPIDER-MAN Will Be A Part Of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Well folks take the following as the biggest grain of salt since forever, because it appears that Spider-man is coming home asan apparent deal has been made between Sont and Marvel Studios. This is all thanks to a report from Latino Review’s Dave Gonzalez is claiming some massive details! These details contain MASSIVE SPOILERS from Phase 3 of the MCU so reader discretion is advised!

This is your last warning of spoilers, so don’t come crying to me!

First off, we better address that headline: According to Dave, the “deal went through” and Spider-Man will indeed be a part of Avengers: Infinity War Part 1. Rumors of Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire (seriously?) reprising the role have been put to bed too — this will be a brand new actor. As if that wasn’t a big enough announcement on its own, he also has the details on the films that lead up to that highly anticipated cinematic event. Once more, do not read on unless you are ready for some massive SPOILERS?

Okay, so it seems Steve Rogers is gonna kick the bucket at the end of Captain America: Civil War. Word is it’s the revelation that Bucky was responsible for Howard Stark’s death that triggers the bad blood between Rogers and Tony, and the end result is Crossbones taking out the Star Spangled Avenger. Info on what happens to Iron Man is vague, but it sounds as if he’ll wind up in space somehow. In Thor: Ragnarok, lots of Asgardians will die and be resurrected, and the God of Thunder will be confined to a “galactic prison”. This takes 3 of the main Avengers out of the picture for Infinity War Part 1, which will focus on a completely new team, along with Spidey of course! The roster is not yet finalized apparently, but some potentials include: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain Marvel, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jewel/Power Woman, any Guardian of the Galaxy, and any Inhuman.

All classic Avengers will be absent from this lineup because the plan is to bring them back for Infinity War Part 2… yes, even the deceased Stevie Rogers. There’s some more speculation as to how the likes of Black Panther and Doctor Strange could fit in, so be sure to take a look.

THE LATINO-REVIEW REPORT!

SPIDER-MAN FRANCHISE:A Casting Call For THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 Already?

Now take the following as huge grain of salt as this could all be just a convoluted cover-up for something bigger than just a sequel to, “The Amazing Spider-man 2.” Plus this could all be some huge rumour even though it is from a casting site. So there is still hope that Marvel may get back Spidey plus as the following will divulge in this could be a titleholder for something different.

Bill Beckman Casting is a movie casting website and it has a page listed for a studio film from Columbia Pictures – the Sony division that distributes Spider-Man movies. The page calls the project “The Amazing Spider-Man 3”,  which we know Sony had plans for before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 came out. They slotted the third film for June 10, 2016 release, followed by a fourth on May 4, 2018. The latest Spidey outing changed everything and when Spider-Man only swooped up $709 million dollars – the lowest of any Spider-Man movie ever – the fourth Amazing Spider-Man disappeared and the third film wouldn’t swing ’til 2018, with Sinister Six dated for 2016.

The new casting call could suggest that Sony is getting the ball rolling on their Spider-Man plans and that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 could trade release dates again, this time before Sinister Six. Or, the listed “The Amazing Spider-Man 3” project name could simply be a titleholder and the Sinister Six will indeed arrive in 2016. Whatever the case, the casting call is searching for male and female extras of all races and ethnicties between the ages of 18 and 65. Andrew Garfield and Dane DeHaan are also listed as being set to return. The film is described as shooting in Atlanta, Georgia – a first for a Spider-Man movie and if the extras are really being called for a Sinister Six film, perhaps Atlanta will serve as a substitute for London which will seemingly act as  one of the film’s settings, according to Drew Goddard’s leaked email to Amy Pascal.

The Sinister Six is scheduled to break out of jail on November 11, 2016.

The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is still sitting on an undecided weekend in 2018.

SPIDER-MAN FRANCHISE: Drew Goddard Thinks A ‘Godzilla’ Sized ‘Sandman’ In SINISTER SIX Could Top DOCTOR STRANGE

In a email with the subject line “[Deadline.com] Marvel Starts Doctor Strange Search: Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch Early Wish Listers” from back in June, Drew Goddard pens an email to Amy Pascal in which he appears to talk about writing up a note to Tom Hardy about why he should choose Sinister Six over Doctor Strange (he would of course end up picking DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad over both). Here the ridiculous sounding email from Goddard it is in its entirety:

I’m gonna write him up a note this weekend. But, off the top of my head, some possible talking points are:

– We’re doing something different – it’s time to celebrate the bad guys for once.
-We’re inspired by the classic team/mission of movies: Dirty Dozen, Magnificent Seven, Guns of Navarone. We want that spirit, that SWAGGER.
– If the Spider-Man franchiseis the Beatles, then we’re the Sex Pistols.
-Flint Marco is gonna steal the show.
-The character is pure id – the anarchic enthusiast of the team. A chance to have FUN while celebrating being bad.
-Tom embodies that anarchy, that triumphant nihilism – we’ve seen him tap into that spirit before in roles like Bronson, but now we have the chance to crank the volume up to ELEVEN.
-He’s gonna storm through London at the end like God-f***ing-zilla. That is not purple prose. He’sgoing to be AS TALL AS A SKYSCRAPER in the third act of the movie. What does Dr. Strange have? Magic tricks? [frick] you, magic tricks – we’ve got a skyscraper Tom Hardy knocking down buildings!!!!

Wow. I’m not sure about you guys, but I am extremely relieved that this idiot had to step down as Daredevil’s showrunner. You can appreciate that he’s just trying to come up with ways of selling Sinister Six and the role of Sandman to Tom Hardy, but is recycling one of THE worst parts of Spider-Man 3 really the best way to do that? Goddard clearly thinks so, and if this is the best he can come up with for the final act, who knows how bad the rest was! Thankfully someone at Sony seemingly saw sense as there was no mention of this movie at Comic-Con (one email revealed plans for Goddard to announce it at the event) and it appears to have stalled since. If Marvel Studios do end up making a deal with Sony, here’s hoping Goddard isn’t part of it.

SPIDER-MAN FRANCHISE: Channing Tatum As ‘Venom’? Here’s Who Else Sony Wanted For SINISTER SIX…

In emails from late May (before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ended up being a critical and commercial failure and fans recoiled at the idea of a movie starring The Sinister Six), the spinoff was moving along at a steady pace. However, by the time October rolled around, there was talk of it also featuring Spider-Man, Venom, and Carnage. November meanwhile would see a deal with Marvel begin to fall into place…and then quickly fall apart if some reports are to be believed! Regardless, The Sinister Six has likely gone through a lot of iterations by now, but that makes the following no less interesting. If the movie does somehow happen? Here’s who Sony might want!

Thanks to musician Val Broeksmit of Bikini Robot Army (who sifted through these emails for us and provided us with proof of their authenticity), we know who Sony were considering for some of the key roles in The Sinister Six. Unfortunately, first names are used in some instances, so we couldn’t quite figure out who was who, but the ones you see below are the ones we do know for sure. Bare in mind that this is a wishlist, NOT confirmation of actors who they were in talks with.

Drew Goddard apparently loved the idea of Tom Hardy playing Sandman, and in one email really pushed for Emily Blunt as Scorpia (who is an actual comic book character, and not just a female version of Scorpion). Amy Pascal put forward Emilia Clarke and Elizabeth Olsen, but noted that it was too late to do anything about the latter due to her Avengers: Age of Ultron role. Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, and Daniel Craig were also all discussed/rejected for roles, with Penn directly mentioned as a Doctor Octopus candidate. Woody Harrelson is too. Colin Firth is also suggested as The Vulture. Going back to Sandman, he’ll apparently be the movie’s comic relief, and so a list of names are reeled off, including Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Chris O’Dowd, Michael Pena, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Sharlto Copley, and a number of others.

Things take a slightly offensive turn when Amy Pascal “jokingly” suggests Jared Leto for Felicia Hardy and points out that Emily Blunt looked “anorexic” in a recent photo. Keri Russell might be too “Keri Russell” apparently, but she does like the thought of Ruth Wilson or Rose Byrne taking on the role of Scorpia. Idris Elba meanwhile is apparently “only good when he speaks British”, and Pascal even suggests turning to Jackie Chan or “original bad guy walter white” who she asks, “is he ever good in anything else”. Really. This is basically just a brain fart of ideas, but there were definitely some actors they were more keen on than others. For example? Channing Tatum apparently wants to play Venom, but now that he’s Gambit, that seems less likely.

Some final bits for you; Doctor Octopus is described as the team’s leader and needs to have quirks so as not to be boring as The Sinister Six’s straight man. Avi Arad also suggested female Venom Ann Weiying for the female team spinoff, and Hannah Minghella brings up a suggestion made in jest by Emma Stone that she returns as Carnage (like in the Ultimate comics) as a “thought to consider for the future” because it “could be really cool/sexy/intense to see.” Crazy stuff, eh?

SPIDER-MAN: Marvel Wants SPIDER-MAN Cameos In AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART I & II

Recently, we all learned Sony has been working on a deal with Marvel Studios that would allow Spider-Man to enter the Marvel cinematic universe. His first appearance could be a cameo in Captain America: Civil War. So, it was assumed Marvel Studio might want to have Spidey make appearances in Avengers 3 and 4 as well, but now we have confirmation of it.

Val Broeksmit has been rummaging through Sony’s dirty laundry and he came across an interesting email exchange between Andrew Gumpert, the President of Worldwide Business Affairs and Operations for Columbia Pictures, and Sony Entertainment Chairman Amy Pascal. In it, Gumpert told Pascal, if the deal goes through and Marvel gains control of Spider-Man they don’t want Spidey’s next solo film to be a continuation of the Captain America: Civil War plot just because he would be making a cameo in it. But, Spidey’s new universe would “exist in a world where that story has happened” and “superheroes are now divided into two groups.” Gumpert also shared details about Spider-Man’s planned Captain America 3 cameo. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) would recruit Spider-Man and give him a suit. He would also meet Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and of course, Captain America (Chris Evans). Furthermore, Marvel would like to start the next Spider-Man solo film with Peter Parker back in high school, living with his Aunt May at their home in Queens.

That’s not all! Marvel wants Spider-Man to appear in the Avengers: Infinity War movies that will be released May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019. In order to make that happen Marvel wants Sony to guarantee that a second standalone Spider-Man film would be released in 2019. Marvel wants that reassurance because they don’t want there to be a long delay between his solo films.

Gumpert appears to be in favor of Marvel’s plan and believes it will benefit Sony more than Marvel. It also appears that Pascal would rather hold off on the solo Spider-Man films until after Avengers 3 and 4 are released.

SPIDER-MAN: Andrew Garfield FIRED?

Spider-Man could be making an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but the Web-Slinger likely wouldn’t be portrayed by Andrew Garfield. The actor may be out as the wall-crawler altogether, according to Mashable.

Sony has been working with licensing Spider-man to Disney for use in Marvel’s Captain America 3, according to leaked emails from a hack last month.

Because of the poor performance of Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony has shelved plans for a sequel and is re-evaluating the franchise..

As of October 2014, it looks like Garfield is out of the franchise for good. Allegedly his criticisms towards Sony alienated some powerful figures.

Garfield also stood up the company at a corporate dinner in July. Garfield’s attendance was going to be mentioned by Sony CEO Kaz Hirai and he was set to sit with some top Sony executives. His absence (with less than an hour of notice) was seen as an affront by the executives.

With the franchise on hold while Sony regroups, an email from Sony Pictures Co-Chairman Amy Pascal suggests that the franchise might receive another reboot with a new actor if Spider-Man appeared in Captain America 3.

Whatever the plans, it appears that Garfield is no longer a part of the equation.