Concept art from Sony’s canceled Sinister Six movie has appeared online, and it shows Spidey well outside of the boundaries of New York City.
Back in the mid-2010s, Sony was planning their own Spider-Man cinematic universe as a way of competing directly with the MCU. This plan included multiple sequels to Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man movies, but also a variety of spin-offs, including a Venom film that eventually saw the light of day. While Sony did eventually launch a failed universe centering around Spider-Man’s villains, Peter Parker himself was expected to play part in the original slate of movies, which included a Sinister Six film.
Director Drew Goddard, who created Netflix’s Daredevil series, was set to helm The Sinister Six movie. Various leaks suggested the movie would have featured a star-studded cast with Sony trying to secure the likes of Daniel Craig, Matthew McConaughey, and other big actors for key roles. It seems like the goal was to make something in the vein of Suicide Squad, where the audience roots for the baddies who have somewhat redeemable qualities, while Spider-Man would be trying to stop them. Unfortunately, the film was canceled after Sony’s massive hack in 2014.
Plot details varied throughout development, but one iteration of the story would’ve taken the story to Savage Land. In Marvel lore, this dangerous prehistoric island is home to a variety of unique species and mutated creatures. Leaked Sony emails indicated that Sinister Six would’ve at least partially taken place on this island and featured time travel portals and dinosaurs. It sounds absurd, but this was further confirmed with new concept art from artist Victor Martinez. The art shows Spider-Man falling toward the island as missile-like objects are launched at him.
Despite using the MCU Spider-Man logo, Martinez teased that this was for a Sinister Six movie and was mocked up many years ago. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll see some more art from this project in the future, but it’s hard to say. Either way, the movie certainly would’ve been a big swing. Whether it would’ve been good or not is another question entirely.
Andrew Garfield recently stated that he would return for a new Spider-Man movie so long as it was strange, and the Sinister Six movie certainly seems like it would fit the bill. It seems unlikely that this movie will ever be revived, though, as Sony and Marvel are having unprecedented levels of success with their current Spider-Man films.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
