Ambition is never in short supply in Hollywood, and when it comes to superhero movies, studios and filmmakers like to talk a big game about how their four-quadrant tentpoles will break the mold. The reality is, aside from efforts like “Deadpool” or “Logan,” that has never been the case, and most follow a very familiar template. Even so, having a grand vision, even if it gets watered down by the final product, can yield some interesting results. Certainly, Sony is hoping their second crack at an extended Spider-Man universe offers audiences something new.
Variety has taken a deep dive look at Sony’s plans outside of Marvel, as they gear up to launch “Spider-Man: Homecoming” spinoffs, “Venom” and “Silver And Black” (just how connected, or not, these movies will be to that smash hit still seems up for debate). And it looks like the goal is to lean toward the more adult-oriented tone of 20th Century Fox‘s successful superhero one-offs.
READ MORE: How Marvel & Sony Are Splitting ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Money Revealed
For example, the Ruben Fleischer directed “Venom” will apparently be in the vein of body horror pictures by David Cronenberg and John Carpenter, but with “more pop and fun,” according to Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch. That seems like a bit of an oddball mix, but weirdly, kind of right in the wheelhouse for “Zombieland” director Fleischer. Who knows, maybe it’s more inspired than it seems on the page.
Meanwhile, “Silver And Black” — centered around Silver Sable and The Black Cat — is going for a buddy movie approach not unlike “Thelma & Louise” or “Midnight Run.”
“I wanted to tell the story of two damaged women who are at war with each other but need each other to survive,” director Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Secret Life Of Bees,” “Beyond The Lights“) said, and that certainly sounds akin to Ridley Scott’s classic.
Of course, how this all filters out once cameras roll remains to be seen, but a high bar is being set. “Venom” opens on October 5, 2018; no date yet for “Silver And Black.”