14 DAY TRIAL // “Spider-Man” has proven so far to be an extremely lucrative franchise, even if somewhat of a critical disappointment. Writer and director Gary Ross is currently working to bring Spider-Man back to life for the fourth installment under the helm of Sam Raimi, but that’s not all Ross will be doing, as he’s also poised to handle the much-hyped Venom spinoff in its entirety, SlashFilm says.
Fans of this particular comics know that talk of a Venom film has been making the rounds since about the time the first Spidey flick came out. Either because there was never that much interest in seeing a production that would feature the villain alone, or because there was never money for it, it hasn’t happened yet. Still, things seem to be pointing towards change, as Gary Ross is reportedly on board as both the director and the writer for the upcoming spinoff.
“Sony has been developing a Marvel Comics spin-off of the Spider-Man villain Venom for some time now, but I never actually believed it would happen. Screenwriting team Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese had written two drafts on the character before moving on to ‘Zombieland.’ And before Wernick/Reese, the company had previously commissioned Jacob Estes (‘Mean Creek’) to pen a take. Sony is talks with ‘Spider-Man 4’ scribe Gary Ross to rewrite the script and possibly even direct the Venom spin-off. Ross plans to begin the rewrite as soon as he finishes up work on Spidey 4.” SlashFilm writes, citing other reports currently making the rounds.
However, whether the Venom film will actually get made is a very tricky question, especially since even “Spider-Man” has lost a lot of his initial appeal to fans. In order for a third Spidey film to be made, director Sam Raimi had to go back to the drawing board and reimagine the story from scrap again because the third installment generated mostly negative reactions. In this context, making a Venom film would be an extremely risky and, above all, costly undertaking that might backfire, movie-oriented publications say. Moreover, word has it that Venom will appear with Arch-enemy Spider-Man, which, again, doubles that risk.
As of now, nothing as regards Ross taking the reins for the Venom spinoff has been confirmed. The fourth Spider-Man film has been scheduled for theatrical release for May 6, 2011 – clearly a long wait for fans. Details on Venom are to be discussed after that date, it is being said.