Hey Yo! Draven here.
Sony has announced today that we will be getting a new Spider-Man every other year for the next five as they will release THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 on June 10, 2016 (my birthday!) and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 4 on May 4, 2018. Here is the official press release:
CULVER CITY, Calif., June 17, 2013 – With Sony Pictures Entertainment now in production in New York on The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, slated for release on May 2, 2014, the studio is planting its flag on two future release dates for one of the most successful franchises in studio history, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Sony Pictures. The next two films in the story of Peter Parker will be released on June 10, 2016, and on May 4, 2018, respectively.
Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, “Spider-Man is our most important, most successful, and most beloved franchise, so we’re thrilled that we are in a position to lock in these prime release dates over the next five years.”
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner, with a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, and based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are the producers. The executive producers are E. Bennett Walsh, Stan Lee, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci.
The Amazing Spider-Man took in over $750 million at the worldwide box office last year.
Sony had to get these claimed now, because the recent trend is for studios to announce release dates years in advance for their blockbuster films. That first weekend of May is also an especially sought after spot and Marvel already claimed May 6, 2016 for an unknown project and so that is why THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 won’t be released until June 10th that year. Sony obviously didn't want that to happen with 2018.
The most interesting thing about all of this though, is the announcement that there will be a fourth Spider-Man film in this universe. All of the talk leading up to today's news, was that this would be a trilogy. It seemed to be setting up that way too, with all of the rumors and speculation of the Sinister Six being set up in the second film and paid off in the third. (Not to mention set pictures from the second one that revealed a big spoiler from the comics that would seem to indicate a trilogy.)
There must be a plan in place though, where they needed (or wanted) a fourth film to complete this story. The Marvel films have really changed everything when it comes to comic book films, and it is nice to see other studios attempting to duplicate them and the amount of time they use to set up films.
My biggest questions though are if Marc Webb will be back for all four films, along with writers Orci, Kurtzman, and Pinkner? I also wonder if they are splitting up Vanderbilt’s original outline for the third film, or if the film will be working with an all new set-up from Orci and Kurtzman? Is the Sinister Six going to be a part of the fourth one? Is Mary Jane going to have a larger role in the third and fourth films? Will this be the end of Andrew Garfield’s role as Spider-Man? Lots of questions that still need to be answered, but we haven’t even seen the second one yet so we will have to be patient.
So to break it all down, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will be released May 2, 2014, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3-June 10, 2016 and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 4-May 4, 2018.
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