Sony Pictures has tapped Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to write a Madame Web movie set in the Spider-Man universe, Collider has exclusively learned.

Created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist John Romita Jr., Madame Web first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #210, which was published by Marvel Comics in November 1980. Known as Cassandra Webb, she is usually depicted as an elderly blind woman suffering from a chronic neuromuscular disease that makes it difficult to move and breathe, and as such, she's connected to a life support system that looks like a spider web. The clairvoyant character has precognitive abilities and once helped Spider-Man find a kidnap victim.

It's unclear who will produce the Madame Web movie, but Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are likely candidates, seeing as they served as producers on Venom and Morbius. A representative for declined to comment on Thursday.

madame-web-movie-burk-sharpless-matt-sazama
Image via Jared Leto

In addition to the Marvel comics, Madame Web has also appeared in the Spider-Man animated series, as well as multiple Spider-Man video games. I'm not familiar with the character in the comics, but one Marvel expert likened her to the Oracle in the Matrix movies and explained that she holds the key to a shared multiverse, so the development of a Madame Web movie may signal where Sony is looking to take the Spider-Man franchise next, since as of right now, the character will have no future ties to Disney's MCU.

Sazama and Sharpless wrote the upcoming Sony movie Morbius, which stars Jared Leto as the titular vampire and is based on the Marvel comic by Gil Kane and Roy Thomas. Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson and Jared Harris co-star in the film, which Sony will release on July 31, 2020. The duo's earlier writing credits include Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter and Gods of Egypt, and they also received story credit on the most recent Power Rangers movie. They're also the driving creative forces behind Netflix's reboot of Lost in Space.

Sharpless and Sazama are represented by ICM Partners, Artists House and attorney Mitch Smelkinson.

madame-web-movie-morbius-writers
Image via Fox Kids
madame-web-movie-morbius-writers
Image via Fox Kids