Sony has picked S J Clarkson to direct what Variety is calling “the first female-centric movie” based out of the Spider-Man related characters that the studio holds the film rights to.
There is no definite word as to which character Clarkson will be centering her film on, though Variety is stating that their inside sources are suggesting that it could be Madame Web. Currently the studio has two Spider-Man spinoffs set for 2021 – Morbius and Venom 2.
Madame Web is a psychic who has the ability to forsee the future of spider-themed heroes and villains. She first appeared in 1980 in Amazing Spider-Man #210. Very old and surrounded by a web-like life support machine that helps keep her alive, Madame Web has provided counsel to not only Peter Parker but several others as well. Confined due to her age and paralysis, she often uses these heroes to fulfill missions and errands of her own.
While Sony execs are reportedly eager to get a female-led Spider-Man related film into production, Madame Web is not the only contender. The studio had been developing a film that would team-up the characters of Black Cat and Silver Sable, but script issues ultimately led to it being shelved. Both characters are now getting slated to get their own solo films instead, though no writers have been reported for either project.
The Variety report stated that no scribes have been signed onto Clarkson’s mystery project. If this film does turn out to be Madame Web, that would fly in the face of reports from last September which had Morbius writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless coming on board that project. Variety’s sources suggest that the studio could be looking to attach an A-list star to the project and then hire a writer to tailor the script to them specifically.
Previously, Clarkson was in contention to be the first female-director on a Star Trek film for Star Trek 4 but that project stalled out over cast contract negotiations.
