Rumor: Sony wants Spike Lee to direct possible Nightwatch movie

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

As Sony begins to kick off their own superhero cinematic universe around Spider-Man characters – including a VENOM and BLACK CAT/SILVER SABLE movie – we’re going to start hearing about plenty more characters who may get their shot at big screen glory. According to a new rumor, Sony is already looking to expand their universe further by giving the Spidey character known as Nightwatch his very own movie, and the studio is supposedly hoping it could be helmed by the last person you thought would ever direct mainstream comic book movie: Spike Lee.

The rumor comes from the Tracking-Board's Jeff Sneider who spoke about information he received on his “Meet the Movie Press” show, and this is a rumor he’s “pretty confident” is legit. The film, like VENOM and SABLE, would be set in Sony's Spider-Man universe, and Sneider mentions that NOW YOU SEE ME scribe Edward Ricourt is set to write the script.

The rumor has not been confirmed by “any stretch” and should be taken with a grain of salt, but it should be noted that Sony had wanted to use Nightwatch for SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, but eventually scrapped the idea. Perhaps it was so they could use them for their own specific universe, which probably won’t have any involvement with the Tom Holland Spider-Man in the MCU.

For those unfamiliar with the character, Nightwatch bears a striking resemblance to the look of another comic-book character – Spawn. The character’s real name is Kevin Trench, a doctor who then becomes Nightwatch after witnessing a man die in an alley, and upon removing his mask sees it’s actually an older version of himself. He then takes the costume and becomes the crime-fighting hero. That's really the only response to seeing your future self dead in the street.

Sony is trying very hard, it seems, to assemble a vast cinematic universe, and including Nightwatch would add some diversity to their roster. I believe the goal to make a movie about him is legit, but I feel that getting Spike Lee to direct is very wishful thinking. This is just not his realm, and by making the movie at Sony I feel like he would sacrifice a lot of creative control to appease the corporate engine. That’s not his style, and if he can’t make the movie he wants he’ll bail. It would be cool to see the veteran director take on such material, but I'm not holding my breath.

The first film of Sony's universe, VENOM with Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed, is set for 2018.