“Where there’s smoke there’s fire.” I kinda hate that phrase because it always lends credence to every damn rumor out there (the recent Gus Van Sant/”Death Note” rumor of late is false and premature, for example). But maybe it applies here. A few weeks ago it was reported that “The Amazing Spider-Man 3” was going to lose its 2016 date and it may be delayed.
Well, it turns out this rumor is entirely possible. The ever-candid Roberto Orci, screenwriter behind the new “Star Trek” franchise, some of the earlier “Transformers” films and of course the rebooted “Amazing Spider-Man” series has revealed in an interview that he has officially left the Sony-produced super hero franchise. “I’m not officially involved in it," Orci told IGN of the upcoming “Spider-Man 3” film.
"I don’t know what their plans are for that franchise,” he continued. “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. I don’t want to say anything about what they should do. I don’t want them to think I’m spilling the beans about something."
That certainly sounds tenuous and doesn’t sound like the plan of the studio that was once certain they were releasing their ‘Spider-Man 3’ film in 2016 with the “Sinister Six” and “Venom” films to follow. Then again, if Orci’s not officially involved anymore, perhaps he’s out of the loop. But it does ring true with the original delay rumor that suggested Sony didn’t know what to do with the series – “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” was the lowest grossing film in the series abroad and at home including every film that Sam Raimi directed (minus inflation and 3D surcharges of course) – and maybe had to rethink the entire direction (since it doesn’t seem to be working in the $1 billion dollar gross range they were hoping for).
Now perhaps this isn’t an entire surprise. Orci and longtime writing partner Alex Kurtzman (who is set to direct and write the “Venom” movie) amicably split earlier this year. Plus, Orci’s got a “Star Trek 3” movie to think about which he will direct and co-write for 2016.
But Orci’s being really cautious. In a separate interview with Collider, the writer/producer/ soon-to-be director said “Star Trek 3” isn’t real until it’s been greenlit by Paramount and that hasn’t happened. “Well, I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch. The studio has yet to even read the script,” he told them. “I’m in the middle of writing it, with the talented team of [John D.] Payne and [Patrick] McKay. They are true Star Trek fans, as well. So, I can’t even think anything about the future until I give them a script and they greenlight it. Until that happens, everything else is just a rumor.”
“If I’m lucky enough that Paramount loves the script and that we go forward,” he added. “It’ll be because I have loved Star Trek for so long and the idea of having seen one of the best guys in the business direct two of them already, and to have seen it from the vantage point of a producer too, I know where a lot of the challenges are and where a lot of the fun is.”
That’s a cute thought and all, but Paramount would really have to hate Orci’s script to not go forward with this film (I mean, they greenlight “Into Darkness,” no?). Considering they’ve already tentatively slotted in “Star Trek 3” for a 2016 release date, the studio isn’t going to want to delay their flagship property any further. Yes, anything’s possible and they could delay it if the script is terrible and the studio doesn’t think they’re ready (for example rumors of “Star Wars: Episode VII” being pushed to 2016 keep getting louder and louder). But this is the same studio that read the much-maligned “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen” and said (yes, during a writing strike), “ok, well, it’s gotta run on this date, so it’s good enough, the kids will eat it up anyhow,” and they were right.
Recap: “Amazing Spider-Man 3,” delayed and in limbo? Hard to say, but it doesn’t sound very good and considering the evidence of the very weak box-office, it doesn’t take a dummy to figure out that Sony’s been in post-mortem mode and trying to figure out what went wrong and how they can “fix” their big super hero property going forward. “Star Trek 3”? I’d assume it’ll move forward as planned until we hear otherwise, but it will be interesting to see how a first time director with no hands-on filmmaking experience (other than producing) can handle mounting a tentpole of this scope and scale.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 3" is supposed to hit theaters on June 10th, 2016. We’ll see if it still hits that date.
lol like before
It needs to return to Marvel badly, I just don't like Andrew or Webb.
I prefer Raimi's however I'm trying to like the newer installments but the scripts have been bad so far and Webbs directing is way off. It would have been better if he didn't do the origin story and mix in the lizard. 'looked like a D&D Lizard'.
Raimi had it right to a point, Peter knew Stacy since child hood. MJ should have come in the 3rd film and leave out Hobgoblin and Venom. But no… the studio decided to tell him what to do.
I took my four year old son to see Captain America: Winter Soldier. He stayed awake and excited the whole time
Took him to see TASM2, he fell asleep before half of the movie.
Marvel Studios wins
1. Sony does not need to make comic book films. I love TASM 1, the sequel was loopy, too much gwen stacy, too much villian b.s., and wtf was wrong with Rhino?
2. Riami films were garbage. campy and toby mcquire was awful. Im a spider man nerd.
3. Marvel Studios needs to do to a Spider-Man film. Not sony, not fox, but Marvel studios. This will never happen though thanks to studio rights. Until Marvel Studios can do a spider man movie themselves. There will never be a truely awesome spider man film.
Thanks
I fxxxing loved TASM. It was better than the Raimi films and captured the goddamned essence of Spider-Man. The direction was good. The casting was ridiculously good. The dialogue was good, It was a good movie, period, and the first truly good Spider-Man movie (S-M2 had some great moments, but…). It sort of falls apart near the end with the requisite destroy-the-city-before-the-countdown plot, and recovers. Still, for a movie about a kid who gets bit by a spider, makes his own costume and fights a giant lizard, it has goddamned verisimilitude. It actually makes Connors and the Lizard work as a movie villain, and seem plausible.
It's underrated because of the Raimi movies.
I fxxxing hated TASM2. The ridiculously good original cast managed to keep it sort of watchable. Everything else was terrible. The plot, the dialogue, the villians, the music, the video-game FX. Terrible. Is the studio, writers/producers K/O, or Webb to blame? No idea.
Andrew Garfield was and still is a great choice for Spider-Man. Almost every other decision in the last two movies has been wrong. They need to fire Marc Webb and hire John McTiernan (he could become the Matthew McConaughey of directors.)
And can we put in place a moratorium on Hans Zimmer scoring superhero movies?
You guys… ASM 3 isn't and never was slated to come out in 2016.
The studio slated dates for 2016 and 2017, and some sites said they were for ASM 3 and 4, and that became the internet's truth. There is no ASM4. The actors and director Marc Webb have been clear they will not be sticking around that long.
The 2016 slot is for the Sinister Six movie, which only exists to lighten the storytelling load for ASM3. Drew Goddard has cleared his schedule to write and direct, and if the Sinister Six movie were coming out after that, the first half of 2014 would be pretty early to start dropping entire projects.
ASM3 will come out in 2017, as the studio planned, and it will be… as good as the first two.
You know im getting tired of spiderman im a huge fan of spiderman but im getting tired of this the last series didnt even get finished this series i could tell is going to hell so im tired of it.
Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof are two of the biggest hacks in Hollywood. Everything they touch, they destroy. They both need to find other professions. Anything. Working at a Wetzel's Pretzels, perhaps.
Good. Sony should never have dumped Maguire, Raimi & Co. They were preparing for Spider-man 4 to be released in 2011, if anyone recalls. While not perfect, those first 3 films were fun & exciting & people worldwide loved them ~ to the tune of $2-3 billion.
Greed rears its ugly head. They booted the original, successful crew…biting the hand that was feeding them. Then decide on some crap reboot in 2012, just 5 years after S3.
This failing franchise is EXCACTLY what that studio gets. Most people wanted Raimi & the original cast to continue telling stories, regardless of the films' flaws. Now? You're stuck with this mess while claiming "franchise fatigue". Wrong. They f'ed up big time & will come up with any excuse not to admit it.
Roberto Orci is just Gabe Toro in a hipster sombrero.
Yeah, 700 million worldwide is a truly very weak box office result….the times we live in..the ignorance…just amazing…
Roberto Orci is a 9/11 truther and an awful human being. I hope Paramount fires him from the Star Trek franchise soon…
With Orci off the script, it's like beating cancer. Now maybe Sony can try out a young newbie on the script. Or maybe hire David Koepp. Anyone but re-hiring Orci.
The Spider-Man film curse.
Well, honestly I think this crisis is for the best. They need time to think about the franchise, create a great story, hire great screenwriters, give up on the spinoffs and focus on making a really great movie this time, 'cause the first ones were pretty average and forgettable – even though they had a great director who's not being allowed to reach his full potential, and a great Peter/Spidey in Andrew Garfield whose talent is being underused.