Sony is once again getting a jump on its next Spider-Man sequel, as the studio has tapped a trio of scribes to start penning the screenplay for The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Alex Kurtzmn, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner are credited with the screenplay for next May’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Sony has now hired the trio to begin work on The Amazing Spider-Man 3. The studio clearly has big plans for the rebooted Spidey franchise, as it recently set release dates for both Spidey 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4 for June 2016 and May 2018, respectively. Hit the jump for more, including the likelihood of director Marc Webb returning for the third installment.
Heat Vision has news of Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner returning to pen the screenplay, which doesn’t feel like a big surprise given that Orci and Kurtzman have—for better or worse—become the go-to screenwriters for studio franchises. The duo penned the first two Star Trek films and are set to return for the third, and they’re also working on reboots of Van Helsing and The Mummy for Universal. As for Pinkner, he has written for both Lost and Fringe and makes his feature film screenwriting debut on The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The report adds that Andrew Garfield is expected to reprise the lead role of Peter Parker (he no doubt signed a contract that extended to at least two sequels), and the hope is that Marc Webb will return to direct The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Webb previously revealed that a story arc has been mapped out to play through the first two sequels, and the character of Mary Jane Watson—previously set to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 2—is poised to play a major role in the third film. I’m not exactly high on Orci and Kurtzman as a screenwriting duo, but I’ll reserve judgement on their Spidey take until seeing what they’ve cooked up for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The sequel hits theaters on May 2, 2014.