Is the 'Amazing Spider-Man' Franchise in Jeopardy?

Sony is learning the hard way that Marvel didn’t build the universe around its Avengers box-office juggernaut in a couple of years. Seemingly confirming rumors that the next Amazing Spider-Man won’t arrive until 2017 or later, screenwriter Roberto Orci revealed that he is not involved with Amazing Spider-Man 3 in an interview with IGN and said he isn’t aware of Sony’s plans for the franchise.

I don’t ever want to say never, but we have to figure out what their scheduling is in terms of when they want each movie… He’s such a popular character. Spider-Man’s not going to go away any time soon. When it all happens and how and all that has yet to be determined.

There appear to be two reasons behind the delay: On one hand, they have the spinoffs, Venom and Sinister Six, to prepare for. Though the two movies were initially believed to be arriving after the third installment, there is a very real chance they could reach theaters ahead of its release. And on the other hand, Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to improve on the box office take of its predecessor; $704 million isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but with superhero flicks, any sign of decline at this point is not good, especially with such a well-known character.

Orci, who recently split with long-time writing partner Alex Kurtzman, will be keeping busy with another sequel, Star Trek 3. He’s currently writing the script with John D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and according to reports, if Paramount likes it, Orci may make his directorial debut with the film.

Images: Sony Pictures