It's become rather apparent that Sony Pictures will not rest until they've given every obscure character from Marvel's Spider-Verse their own spin-off film. This was made abundantly clear today as the studio announced that Marc Guggenheim has been tapped to pen the script for JACKPOT, an upcoming feature about a crime fighting superheroine who's also a mom. Guggenheim is well-acquainted with the character after having written issues of her comic series with Brian Reed.
In the comics, Jackpot arrives as a superheroine with unprecedented strength. Her history on the comic book page is perhaps a bit difficult to parse, but here goes nothing and everything:
Jackpot first stepped onto the comic book scene as Sara Ehret, a scientist, who, while pregnant, is experimenting with gene therapy research when she becomes exposed to "Lot 777," a virus that upon entering her system, rewrites her DNA. Despite her baby being born healthy, Sara soon discovers that she possesses super strength, and that soon she'll be forced to defend her family against sinister forces.
In time, Sara steps away from the crime fighting scene and surrenders her suit to Alana Jobson, a driven companion who takes over the Jackpot legacy but must ingest Mutant Growth Hormone to match her friend's superhuman abilities. Sadly, an overzealous Jobson is later killed in the heat of battle while teaming up with Spider-Man against the villain Menace. Guilt-stricken and at a loss for words, Ehret returns to her role as Jackpot, this time with a restored sense of responsibility.
As a seasoned contributor to comics both Marvel and DC, Guggenheim certainly knows his way around superheroes. In the past, he's written for series such as Aquaman, The Amazing Spider-Man, Superman/Batman, and of course, Jackpot. He's also written for a number of film and television projects, including Law & Order, Jack & Bobby, CSI: Miami. His latest gig includes adapting the Image Comics character Prophet for Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8. He's also poised to make his directorial debut by shooting an upcoming episode of DC's LEGEND OF TOMORROW for The CW. Additionally, Guggenheim is in charge of adapting Gantz for Sony Pictures, which I can only assume is a new spin on the riveting Japanese manga and anime series about people who have recently died are brought back to life and supplied with high-tech weapons in order to defeat an army of monsters in Tokyo and Osaka. I'd say that's quite the pedigree, wouldn't you?
Sony of course has a number of Spider-Man spin-offs either in the works or on the way, including a sequel to Tom Hardy's VENOM, Jared Leto's MORBIUS, and a film revolving around Kraven the Hunter, which is set to be penned by THE EQUALIZER scribe Richard Wenk. Word has it that the studio is also developing film projects revolving around the characters Silk (Cindy Moon) and Nightwatch. Lastly, it was revealed yesterday that TV director S.J. Clarkson is developing a film that features the Spider-Man character Madame Web.
While there's still no word about a film featuring the Sinister Six, it's obvious that Sony is taking a "go big or go home" approach to expanding their Spider-Verse in the coming years. Are you excited to swing along, or have these announcements left you feeling more confused than ever about Sony's plans for building a universe out of characters associated with Marvel's Friendly Neighborhood Wall-Crawler? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.