With all the rumors flying around about the next Spider-Man film, Drew Goddard is now negotiating to both direct and write the screenplay for the next installment in the Sony franchise. With Spider-Man finally making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with casting still up in the air, a solid script and director will be great to have settled.

Goddard is attached to The Sinister Six, a movie about all of Spider-Man’s arch-rivals, but ever since the Sony leak and the subsequent cooling of enthusiasm for standalone Spider-Man movies, that project has been put on the back-burner at the studio. Goddard is also known for his work on other great sci-fi flicks, including Cloverfield and World War Z. His potential role as screenwriter and director is only one part of the large, complicated world surrounding the next Spider-Man movie.

With Spider-Man officially returning to the Disney-Marvel franchise in either Captain America: Civil War or Doctor Strange, both casting and story for the next Sony-based movie have been up in the air. Kevin Feige – in addition to recently outed Sony studio head Amy Pascal – is already attached as producer for the standalone movie, helping to bring those magic ingredients that have made MCU movies so successful. Goddard will have his work cut out for him when the dust has settled and we know what the next Spider-Man movie will actually be about and who it will star. We know Andrew Garfield will not be returning and rumors have been flying about his possible replacement, with names such as Logan Lerman and Daniel Glover (for further coverage on the Spider-Man movie and its casting, check out this article) being thrown into the mix.

The release date for the next installment has not been set, having been pushed back following the complete mayhem that followed the Sony-Disney-Marvel contract negotiations. Though if Drew Goddard is confirmed as the director and screenwriter, chances are a concrete date for the movie will become clear very soon.