Fans have been disappointed over the Spider-Man custody battle between Sony and Disney/Marvel with the hope that Disney will be willing to make concessions at some point.
The good news is that there is another story in the Spidey-verse on the horizon. Sony is keeping the mythology alive with a different character from the comics who is not an angry villain.
Cheat Sheet quoted Collider as saying Sony has greenlit a Madame Web film based on the comic book character who first appeared in the ’80s.
Her real name is Cassandra Webb and she first became tangled up with Spider-Man when he rescued one of her students.
Based on her Marvel bio, she’s a mutant who has been blind all her life and has a rare neuromuscular condition that hinders her ability to move.
Because she’s attached to an apparatus to help her function (created by her husband), it gives her the appearance of having a web.
Meet Madame Web…and Madame Web! Both have a role to play in The Clone Conspiracy. Read more: https://t.co/OKLSJDWnr3 pic.twitter.com/v8XSXk3wcO
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 25, 2016
She is also a powerful psychic medium who possess the gift of telepathy. In the comics she has been an elderly woman but there were times where she can reverse her aging.
She could be the older or younger version of herself in a movie. Madame Web and Spider-Man are allies and she’s also worked with the Spiderwomen in the series.
The same duo behind another upcoming Spider-Man universe film, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless will be handling the script for the film.
They have worked on fantasy movies before such as Gods of Egypt, Dracula Untold, and The Last Witch Hunter.
It is thought that Sony’s Palak Patel with oversee the movie although the studio hasn’t confirmed any details.
There has been mixed reaction to the news with fans being “cool” to “excited” to “Madame Web of all people?”
Many prefer that other Spider-verse characters are more worthy of solo films at this juncture, with some who don’t believe this project will even get off the ground.
However, there are others who like the idea of seeing her in a spinoff.
Sazama and Sharpless wrote the screenplay for Morbius, a 2020 release starring Jared Leto.
Also based on the comic book character, the story follows scientist Michael Morbius who’s afflicted with a blood disease that he unsuccessfully tried to cure with vampire bat DNA.
His unfortunate results caused him to wind up with a form of vampirism. Along with being bloodthirsty, he has the super-abilities of speed, strength, and healing. He’s a known foe to Spider-Man.
While Leto is playing the anti-hero Morbius, Matt Smith and Tyrese Gibson are also part of the cast. The film is due to hit theaters next year in July.
Sony Pictures currently owns the film rights to Spider-Man, something it’s held since 1998 along with roughly 900 other Marvel characters.
The studio wants to continue to grow its Spider-Man franchise, so moviegoers will continue to see stories with Venom, Morbius, Madame Web and others in his web for the next few years.