Alex Kurtzman is undoubtedly one of the busiest guys in Hollywood, and his handle on major tentpole franchises has only grown since parting ways with longtime producing partner Roberto Orci. The two worked together on such films as Transformers, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Cowboys & Aliens, Ender’s Game, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but will be shifting gears a bit for their upcoming projects.
Orci is reportedly not helping out with the expansive Spider-Man movie universe, which includes The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4, as well as villain-centric spin-offs Venom and Sinister Six. Instead, he’s shepherding Star Trek 3 and overseeing the Power Rangers reboot, while Kurtzman sets his sights on a Universal Monsters shared movie universe and directing duties on Venom (and will serve as an “architect” for the rest of the Spidey-verse).
Kurtzman was recently interviewed by Collider, and talked a bit about both the Spider-Man franchise and Universal’s Monster-ous plans. As far as Spider-Man goes, things seem to be in flux now that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to live up to Sony’s critical and financial goals. The film may have grossed over $700 million worldwide, but it fell quite short of previous Spidey installments, and was the worst-reviewed film of the franchise.
When Orci revealed that he was no longer helping out with TASM 3, he mentioned that Sony’s overall plans for the series may be changing. According to Kurtzman, they’re currently trying to figure it out. When asked where they were at in terms of timing for TASM 3, Kurtzman said:
“It’s all up for grabs, right now. We’re just trying to figure it out. Venom will come after Sinister Six, I think is the plan.”
On whether or not Black Cat would someday enter the franchise or even take center stage in her own film, Kurtzman said:
“Anything is possible. We’re always looking for opportunities like that. I can’t say a whole lot about it, but I wouldn’t rule it out.”
If you recall, Black Cat’s alter-ego, Felicia Hardy, appeared in TASM 2, and was played by Felicity Jones. The seed has definitely been planted for her return in a future film, so it’s highly possible she’ll have a more substantial role in one of the upcoming films. As far as their longterm plans go, Kurtzman reiterates that they’re still hammering out the details:
“Everything is still on the table, right now. Because it’s a universe outside of the Spider-Man unvierse, even though it’s connected to it, those movies have to stand on their own. So we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. I’m a crazy fan of movies like The Wild Bunch or Wages of Fear, where you’re rooting for the bad guys. I think that’s the opportunity that Sinister Six has to provide.”