Sony has tapped writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights) to direct their forthcoming Spider-Man spin-off feature, which will center around the Marvel characters Silver Sable and Black Cat. The film currently doesn’t appear to have title but reaffirms the studio’s commitment to move forward in creating a Spider-Man movie universe, which will re-start with this summer’s highly anticipated reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to reveal Prince-Bythewood’s involvement.
The characters of Silver Sable and Black Cat are both Marvel Comics mainstays that have complicated ties with Peter Parker. Silver Sable, created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1985, is a mercenary who oversees an industry that hunts war criminals; she has at times been both friend and foe to Peter. Black Cat, meanwhile, is a cat burglar who also goes by the name Felicia Hardy, a woman who has, in the comics, had a romantic relationship with Peter. Curiously, Oscar nominated actress Felicity Jones (Rogue One) played Hardy in Amazing Spider-Man 2, however no mention of Black Cat was made in the film. Ever more so, the film sharply focuses on two female characters, taking cues from the upcoming DC Comics’ adaptation Wonder Woman and MCU’s currently-in-development Captain Marvel as well as criticism for the lack of gender balance in the superhero genre that’s persisted for some tie.
The screenplay for the Silver Sable-Black Cat feature is currently being worked on by Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnorak), with an assist from Lisa Joy (Westworld). Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal will serve as producers on the project. As of now, no casting announcement have been made but the studio appears to be readying for a production start this fall with a release in the works for the fall of 2018.
This feature marks another notch to Sony’s efforts to re-brand their Sony arm – likely outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (in which Spider-Man: Homecoming belongs) – as it coincides with the recent revelations revolving around another Spider-Man spinoff, Venom, which will star Tom Hardy and be directed by Ruben Fleischer.
As for Prince-Bythewood, she has previously directed admired projects including Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees and Beyond the Lights. She earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for Love & Basketball. Most recently, she has worked as a writer, director and served as a co-creator of the current FOX television series Shots Fired.
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