Update: "Spider-Man" Spin-off "Venom" set for Oct. 5, 2018

[JamesG]

Sony Sets Spider-Man Spin-offs ‘Venom,’ ‘Sinister Six’ with New “Franchise Brain Trust”
by DOMINIC PATTEN
December 13, 2013


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, announced it will make movies on Spidey villains Venom and The Sinister Six.





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.

This was announced via the tucked away ElectroArrives.com, Spider-Man 2 related website. The Amazing Spider-Man 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.”





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 – 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, there is a Kurtzman-directed Venom and a Drew Goddard-directed Sinister Six in the offing.



Kurtzman, Orci and Solomon will pen the screenplay for the former starring the black suited anti-Spider-man baddie played by Topher Grace in 2007′s Spider-Man 3.

Goddard will write and likely helm the latter, which features a coterie of the franchise bad guys.

“Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity 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. It eases Sony’s burden of providing direct Spidey sequels, and follows Fox’s move to diversify its X-Men universe in the same way.

This protects billion dollar franchises from reverting back to Marvel, and rival studio Disney.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/spid...-drew-goddard/

[comedyfreak]

I am psyched for this, can't wait!!

[JamesG]

Spider-Man Spin-off Venom Gets 2018 Release Date
by Derek Lawrence
March 16, 2017


Aquaman‘s Christmas move has provided a gift for a different comic book character.

In the wake of Warner Bros. shifting Aquaman to Dec. 21, 2018, Sony has taken the opportunity to quickly slide Venom into the vacated date of Oct. 5, 2018, EW has learned.

The move comes only a few months before Sony releases its latest Spider-Man reboot, Spider-Man: Homecoming, which swings into theaters on July 7.





This wouldn’t be the first time the Marvel villain has hit the big screen.

In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, Topher Grace donned the black suit as Eddie Brock, a rival photographer of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), who soon becomes Venom.

A Venom spin-off had been announced back in 2013, along with the villain team-up Sinister Six, but the underwhelming performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 halted such plans.

http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/16/sony...-2018-release/