The Future of the Amazing Spider-Man Franchise is Now Uncertain

The Amazing Spider-Man 3 recently lost a screenwriter, but it may have lost a heck of a lot more than that if departing scribe Roberto Orci is to be believed.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is currently the lowest-grossing film in the series, before or after the reboot, earning almost $300 million less than the $1 billion goal allegedly set by the studio. It’s also the only film in the franchise to earn a “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with only 53% of critics giving The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a passing grade. 

Related: Why the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Franchise is Probably Doomed

Roberto Orci, who is departing the Amazing Spider-Man franchise to direct Star Trek 3, recently explained to IGN that the already-announced future of the series is now uncertain. Sony had previously declared that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4 would arrive in theaters in 2016 and 2018, with the supervillain spin-offs Venom and Sinister Six premiering in the interim, but Orci had the following to say about Sony’s current franchise plans.

“I don’t know what their plans are for that franchise, says Roberto Orci. “I don’t ever want to say never, but we have to figure out what their scheduling is in terms of when they want each movie. I’ve read probably as much as anyone else. There’s a love for the Sinister Six, the idea of Venom — there’s an idea of Spider-Man’s going to be one of these characters that’s part of our business. He’s such a popular character. Spider-Man’s not going to go away any time soon. When it all happens and how and all that has yet to be determined.”

It would have been very easy for Roberto Orci to dodge the question or simply say that as far as he knew Sony’s plans were still in motion, but instead he went on the record saying that nothing is certain yet. Not a good sign. Granted, Sony knows it has one of the most valuable superheroes on the market, so they’re going to do SOMETHING with him sooner or later, but maybe they counted their chickens before they hatched by announcing the release dates for all those sequels before Amazing Spider-Man 2 actually came out, and proved to be an at least minor disappointment, financially, and a major disappointment to many of the character’s fans.
 
We’ll be back with more Amazing Spider-Man franchise news when Sony makes an official announcement, or when someone else in the know decides to raise their voice too.

This Week in Film News – Week Ending 07/18/14


William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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