Spider-Man Aunt May spinoff may happen…seriously
Sony is considering an espionage film about a younger Aunt May.
Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. I understand that Sony has had their problems with the “Spider-Man” franchise but this is not the route to go. According to Latino Review, Sony is “pursuing” an Aunt May film. The film would be based on her in her younger days raising Peter Parker (Spider-Man) incorporating some sort of espionage type plot.
Yes, an Aunt May movie. A movie about Aunt May as a youth, before she was shouldered with the responsibility of raising Peter Parker. The target mood is some sort of espionage story in the vein of AMC’s Mad Men, which sounds like a way of saying “classier Agent Carter” without name-dropping Marvel’s upcoming series.
These type of spinoffs are what could doom superhero films. We started with some quality films that brought our heroes on the big screen. We were in awe as we watched these films bring back memories of our childhood and we wanted more and more. Now with shows like “Gotham,” “Agents of SHIELD,” and the upcoming “Agent Carter,” we may have got more than we asked for.
These television shows are spinoffs about supporting characters of major films and loosely mention the characters we love. While some may enjoy this, I would say most agree that they are acceptable as TV shows but not as major films. With Sony taking a supporting character like Aunt May and giving her a standalone film, I think they may hurt what’s left of their credibility. And if they are successful in profiting from an Aunt May spinoff, then I worry about the future of superhero films.
If successful, an Aunt May film could lead to other studios reevaluating their formula. They may take the reigns of creativity and turn it into a lucrative, low overhead, marginally high profit formula. This is why they keep releasing bad Nicholas Sparks films, they’re low budget and have high profit margins. We could see an Uncle Ben or J. Jonah Jameson film next that is a low budget production merely drawing in crowds with the anticipatory mention of Spider-Man.
An Aunt May film is not good for the industry. Sony needs to reevaluate their decisions and maybe start thinking about collaborating with Marvel Studios more.
