So the next move has to be Disney/Marvel announcing The Avengers 3, 4 and 5, right?
Days after Warner Bros. released word that the sequel to Man of Steel is already being worked on, Sony Pictures has confirmed that there will be another two (yes, two) installments of The Amazing Spider-Man following next year's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Hey there, here come the press release...
CULVER CITY, Calif., June 17, 2013 – With Sony Pictures Entertainment now in production in New York on The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, slated for release on May 2, 2014, the studio is planting its flag on two future release dates for one of the most successful franchises in studio history, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Sony Pictures. The next two films in the story of Peter Parker will be released on June 10, 2016, and on May 4, 2018, respectively.
Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, “Spider-Man is our most important, most successful, and most beloved franchise, so we’re thrilled that we are in a position to lock in these prime release dates over the next five years.”
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner, with a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, and based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are the producers. The executive producers are E. Bennett Walsh, Stan Lee, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci.
The first Amazing Spider-Man reboot starring Andrew Garfield brought in over $262 domestically with a production budget of $230 million, but was huge overseas, earning over $752 million worldwide. As long as the sequel performs as well, the additional two films would certainly be justified, although there's no mention if Garfield or director Marc Webb will return for the next two films. If nothing else, this should effectively kill the ridiculous rumors of Sony selling the Spider-Man movie rights back to Marvel.