One of Sony's most exciting cancelled projects inside the Spider-Man universe can still happen and be even better. Before Tom Holland joined the MCU as its version of Spider-Man, Sony had hoped to develop its own cinematic universe based around the iconic superhero. Even before attempting something similar with the likes of Venom, Morbius, and Madame Web, several planned Spider-Man projects never saw the light of day.
As this was back in the era of Andrew Garfield's take on Peter Parker and Spider-Man, Sony has clearly moved on from those ideas. However, there is one cancelled movie that fans are still upset they never got to see but one that could be revived in a new kind of way.
Drew Goddard nearly made a Sinister Six movie
Back in 2013, in between The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Drew Goddard was hired to write and direct a live-action Spider-Man spinoff for the Sinister Six. In the comics, the Sinister Six were a team of Spider-Man's greatest enemies who came together to battle the wall-crawler.
Though the roster of villains changed many times over the years, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seemed to be laying the foundation with teases for Rhino, Vulture, and Doc Ock. Despite Goddard finishing the script and Sony responding positively to it, the project ended up being shut down following the Sony Pictures hack scandal in 2014.
While promoting his new movie Project Hail Mary, Goddard spoke about the cancelled project, still holding enthusiasm for the script but showing no signs that it would be moving forward. Indeed, following the failure of spinoffs like Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, Sony has seemingly moved away from live-action Spider-Man movies, allowing Marvel to handle the character in its own universe. However, that suggests an interesting path forward for the Sinister Six movie.
Sinister Six should be revived as an animated movie
While Sony's live-action Spider-Man movies haven't been hugely successful, the same cannot be said about their animated Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gave Miles Morale his big-screen debut and delivered a vibrant, exciting, and funny Spider-Man movie that served as a celebration of the entire lore.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was an even bigger hit, and both movies have been named by many fans and critics among the best superhero movies of all time. Fans are now waiting for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse to conclude the trilogy, but that doesn't mean the animated Spider-Man movies should end there.
Sony seems to have realized that an animated Venom movie has been announced. With the animated branch leaning into the villains already, it seems like the perfect place to make Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie a reality. Who wouldn't want to see the likes of Doc Ock and Sandman brought to life with Sony Animation's distinct style?
This would also do away with the continuity issue. Any live-action Sinister Six movie would presumably need to be set within a certain live-action universe. Not so with an animated movie. The Spider-Verse has opened the doors to countless realities where this story could happen, either with an established version of Spider-Man or a completely new one.
With Goddard's record of delivering crowd-pleasing and acclaimed genre movies, Sony would likely be unwilling to let one of his scripts go unused. As the Spider-Verse trilogy comes to an end, Sinister Six would be an ideal way to keep the animated side of this universe going while delivering a movie fans have been waiting years for.