“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is the culmination of a deal brokered between Disney/Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, current holders of film rights for Marvel Comics’ web-swinging hero.
This enabled Dis-Marvel to include Spider-Man in their ongoing shared film universe of Marvel-owned superheroes, while Sony is free to develop more solo Spider-films and spinoffs of Marvel heroes connected with him.
This has led to their formation of a “Sony Marvel Universe,” with movies starring other characters with a connection to Spider-Man, such as “Venom” starring Tom Hardy that is about one of the hero’s arch-enemies.
This had barely gotten off the ground yet when Sony announced a follow-up featuring two other Spider-related Marvel characters, Silver Sable and Black Cat.
The second spinoff gets director
The second film that Sony Pictures is conceptualizing for their Marvel Universe, apart from the MCU, is an unlikely tandem flick with the working title of “Silver and Black.” As stated, it will figure two characters who have debuted in the pages of Spider-Man comic books.
Even better, these are striking beautiful yet powerful female personalities, the mercenary leader Silver Sable and the cat burglar aptly named the Black Cat. Both are mostly anti-heroic characters who have either worked alongside or fought against Spider-Man and other Marvel heroes in their various appearances.
To direct this film, Sony has decided to tap the services of Gina Prince Bythewood, who has worked on movies such as “Beyond the Lights” which have been acclaimed by critics. Also, she will spruce up the submitted script for “Silver and Black” by Christopher Yost, screenwriter of “Thor: The Dark World” for the MCU.
Working on a superhero flick will not be an entirely new experience for Prince-Bythewood, as she was also the director for the pilot episode of “Cloak and Dagger,” another Marvel TV series that will air on Freeform.
Friend and foe
What “Silver and Black” shares in common with “Venom” is the fact that the lead characters have trodden a line between being hero and villain. Silver Sable, real name Silver Sablinova, is a native of the fictional Marvel nation of Symkaria, and the leader of a private military contract firm specializing in tracking down war criminals.
Black Cat, real name Felicia Hardy, is a thief following in the footsteps of the father she idolized, although she has also dabbled in being a private eye during straight periods.
Both these characters have aided Spider-Man on some occasions and fought him in others, and there has also been some attraction hinted between the two and the web-head. Much like “Venom,” it’s not certain either if Spider-Man will appear here, though since this is part of the Sony Marvel Universe, he will be. No release date for “Silver and Black” has been set, unlike “Venom” which is up in the fall of 2018.
