Olivia Wilde to direct Marvel movie for Sony which could be Spider-Woman

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Following the success of BOOKSMART, Olivia Wilde is looking to return to the director's chair for her next project, and according to Deadline, it's going to be a big one! The outlet has reported that Wilde has closed a deal with Sony Pictures to direct and develop a Marvel film revolving around a female character in Sony's slice of the Marvel Universe. Nothing has been confirmed, but Deadline's Justin Kroll says that the project is expected to revolve around Spider-Woman. Olivia Wilde will also co-write the film along with her writing partner Katie Silberman. The project is said to be a high priority for Sony Pictures, but Wilde came close to passing as her slate began to fill up. However, the chance to launch her own female superhero franchise was hard to turn down.

In the comics, Spider-Woman was Jessica Drew, a young woman who was exposed to uranium at her father's research facility. In an effort to save his daughter's life, Jessica's father injected her with an untested serum made from the blood of several uncommon species of spiders and sealed her in a genetic accelerator which kept her in stasis. Emerging decades later with no memories of her past, Jessica was convinced to become an assassin for HYDRA, but she soon rebelled after discovering the true nature of the organization. As Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew possess many abilities similar to Peter Parker's, including strength, speed, stamina, and wall-crawling, but she also has a few unique abilities, including channeling the inordinate amount of bio-electricity within her body through her hands as "Venom Blasts."

There are a number of projects being developed for the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC), which kicked off with the release of VENOM, including Madame Web, Nightwatch, Kraven the Hunter, The Sinister Six, and more. There's also a sequel and spin-off to SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE in the works, but the next SPUMC films will be MORBIUS and VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, which are slated to hit theaters on March 19, 2021 and June 25, 2021, respectively.