Sony and Olivia Wilde Are Partnering on a “Secret” Female-Centric Marvel Film

Sony has closed a deal with Olivia Wilde to direct a female-focused Marvel film, rumored to focus on Spider-Woman.

Olivia Wilde is the next to take on a Marvel film, but she’ll be leading from the director’s chair. Slash Film reports that Wilde has been brought on by Sony to direct a “female-led” Marvel superhero film, which is heavily rumored to be the long-awaited live-action appearance of Spider-Woman.

Wilde, known for her roles in House, M.D. and Tron: Legacy among others, has added directing to her repertoire, notably with 2019’s coming-of-age comedy Booksmart. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, as well as a BAFTA Award. Wilde’s latest directing endeavor is a psychological thriller titled Don’t Worry Darling, starring herself, Shia LeBouf, Florence Pugh, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Pine.

The first Spider-Woman comic debuted in 1977–according to Stan Lee, the character of Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew was only created so Marvel could claim a trademark on the name. The original Jessica Drew Spider-Woman comics underwent a tumultuous few decades, until the character was revived in 2005 with The New Avengers. The 2014 Spider-Verse storyline continued to boost Spider-Woman’s popularity and importance to the Marvel Universe.

Fans have speculated that, as Wilde’s Sony/Marvel film is touted to be “female-centric,” it may feature a spin on the Spider-Women event. The 2016 comic run was a crossover highlighting Silk and Gwen Stacy, in addition to Spider-Woman. However, Spider-Woman has been a mask worn by several other female characters, including Mary Jane Watson, so Sony may choose a more familiar protagonist than Jessica Drew.

Sony is taking no chances on its grasp on Marvel’s Spider-Man universe, as it has several films based on Spider-Man-adjacent characters in production. Venom was released in 2018, with Venom 2 expected in 2021. Morbius, starring Jared Leto, is also scheduled to premiere in 2021. Other upcoming titles from Sony include a Madame Web film, a Black Cat film, and a Silver Sable film.

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Published by Lyrin

World of Warcraft nerd with a fierce affinity for well-crafted RPGs (Bioshock, Mass Effect, #RIPWildStar). I'm always down to try a quirky game with a good story or captivating atmosphere. I received my bachelor's in English in 2017 and always find myself writing or editing one thing or another. If I'm not playing WoW with my husband (aka the guy who got me into all this), I'm usually goofing off with our dog Oliver or watching Let's Plays of the horror games I'm too chicken to touch.