The-Amazing-Spider-Man-IMAX-posterProduction has been well underway on Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for a while now, and it looks like Sony are beyond confident in its success next year. So confident are they that they’re shoring up the franchise, announcing tonight that they are moving forward with a further two films, and setting their release date at two-year intervals down the line.

When we heard last summer that The Amazing Spider-Man would become the first film in a new trilogy, I had a very strong feeling that Andrew Garfield could be the new Spidey for more than just three films.

That feeling started to be confirmed when Shailene Woodley was cast as Mary Jane Watson for next year’s sequel – with Emma Stone returning as Gwen Stacy, you couldn’t help but feel that Mary Jane Watson would have a small role in the first sequel, which would go on to be developed in future films. And naturally, to do that right would take more than one sequel beyond The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

As a huge fan of Webb’s original franchise starter, the news that Sony are moving forward with a further two films for Summer 2016 and Summer 2018 is absolutely awesome.

I love Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and can’t wait to see him and Emma Stone return for the first sequel next summer. What will of course be interesting to see is what happens to Stone’s Gwen Stacy in the film/s to come, and at what point Mary Jane Watson takes a more central role as the love interest. (Presuming, of course, that she will indeed become the female lead somewhere down the line.)

Needless to say, the studio aren’t likely to be forthcoming with any intended plot developments for the next two films until at least The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been released, if not further down the line from there.

But it’s great to know that the studio are shoring up the franchise, greenlighting at least a further two sequels. With filming already underway on the first sequel, they can begin scripting The Amazing Spider-Man 3, and move on from there, with plenty of time to get everything just right for the franchise’s future. (And maybe even a crossover or two with the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – we can dream.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set to be released in 3D on May 2nd, 2014. It will be followed with the next two sequels on June 10th, 2016, and then May 4th, 2018. And given that the first film took north of $750m. last year, we’re pretty sure that the upcoming three films are going to be massive blockbusters in their own right.

 

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.