Spider-Man fanatics see characters like Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Rhino (Paul Giamatti), the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and multiple Goblins (Chris Cooper, Dane DeHaan), and immediately, they are going to start speculating: When is Spidey going to fight The Sinister Six?
It makes sense, on so many levels. Sony recently confirmed that they would be doing Part 3 and 4 of the current Amazing Spider-Man series, with Andrew Garfield in the mask and tights of our friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man. And while Electro, without a doubt, is the main villain of next summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the Sinister Six is on the minds of the creative team behind the franchise at the moment.
At least, that’s what ASM producer Matt Tolmach tells me during an exclusive 1:1 interview at San Diego Comic-Con. I brought up to Tolmach the perpetual rumor on message boards and chat rooms about the Sinister Six, and the possibility of having Spidey fight multiple villains in the same film. Is there any truth to that rumor, or is it wishful thinking on the part of a passionate fan base? Here’s Tolmach:
"It IS wishful thinking on their part, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. It’s a great idea. We haven’t yet nailed down … there are the Spider-Man movies, and then there are the movies that grow out of this universe. We haven’t defined those yet, but we’re spending a lot of time thinking about it. That’s the honest answer.”
Tolmach went on to talk about the actors who they have signed on for the villainous roles in the building Spider-Man universe, saying that it’s intentional to have this level of talent on hand for future stories, and that every actor they have hired has been excited about participating in future Spidey movies. In doing so, Tolmach confirms a piece we write a while back saying that Webb is constructing a much bigger Spider-man cinematic universe with each new film.
“We’re looking long term,” Tolmach says. “There’s such an incredible wealth of story, thanks to Stan Lee and everybody else, to cull from. There are all of these incredible characters. … We’re seeding a universe.”
Webb was a little more hesitant to commit to The Sinister Six … understandably. “You want to build out the possibility of something more,” Webb told me during our Comic-Con interview. But when I asked him about The Sinister Six, he was very candid:
"I don’t want to give away too much. I really don’t. I want to preserve The Surprise, which is always under attack. For the right reasons. People are very enthusiastic, and they’re curious, but it’s really difficult to let people get into that theater for the first time and experience it with that sense of awe and curiosity. I think that’s tragic.But … I’m a fan of The Sinister Six. I’ll say that. I think if you pay attention to the second movie, you’ll see hints of what’s to come.”
Webb and I dived into specifics, including the importance of Ravenscroft, the role Felicity Jones is playing, whether Norman Osborn’s actually sick in ASM 2 and much more-- more of that interview will come later. But that’s what they have to say about The Sinister Six in a Spider-Man movie … at the moment.
