The Cabin in the Woods director and co-writer is reported to be the leading contender to write and direct the film, according to Latino-Review, with the project’s working title expected to be The Spectacular Spider-Man. While the report has been validated somewhat by subsequent coverage in Hollywood trade publications, those outlets suggest that Goddard is in very early discussions with the studio and his involvement is far from certain at this point.
Goddard is no stranger to the Spider-verse, having previously been attached to write and direct the supervillain team-up movie The Sinister Six for Sony before the recent deal with Marvel was arranged. He also has some previous superhero experience, having briefly served as the showrunner for Marvel’s Daredevil series on Netflix before departing the project for The Sinister Six. Goddard has been a frequent collaborator with The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director Joss Whedon, with whom he co-wrote The Cabin in the Woods (which coincidentally featured Thor star Chris Hemsworth in its cast), and also served as a writer on the TV version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spin-off series, Angel.
While Goddard’s attachment to the Spider-Man movie is unofficial at this point, the studios will need to start finalizing details soon in order to ensure the new Spider-Man’s debut in one of Marvel’s upcoming films (per the details of the studios’ arrangement) and begin production on the solo movie.
The Spider-Man solo movie is scheduled to hit theaters July 28, 2017.
