Sony is making a female superhero movie set in the Amazing Spider-Man universe


After a long string of movies based on characters like Batman, Superman, and Iron Man — with "man" being the operative part of those titles — a major Hollywood studio is finally prepping a female-led superhero movie.
Deadline reports that Sony is currently planning an expansion of its Amazing Spider-Man franchise with an as-yet untitled movie centered on a female Spider-Man character. Lisa Joy Nolan was hired to write the script, and the studio is currently eyeing a release date sometime in 2017. Sony hasn't revealed which character the movie will be centered on, but Deadline lists a number of possibilities, including Spider-Woman, Silver Sable, and Black Cat (who was briefly played by Felicity Jones in The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
The news comes less than a week after Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige demurred on the subject of a female superhero movie. "I very much believe in doing it," Feige said, before explaining that the studio has too many ongoing superhero franchises to introduce another one. "I hope we do it sooner rather than later." Looks like they've been beaten to the punch.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Lilo & Stitch: is Disney's latest live-action remake a 'ghastly misfire'?
Talking Point The studio's retelling of the 2002 original flattens its fuzzy blue protagonist – but could still be a box office smash
-
A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to Japan
Under the Radar The 1999 book originally warned of a disaster that would befall Japan in 2011 — a prophecy that came true
-
Sudoku hard: May 22, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia