Back when the Amazing Spider-Man film series was still going, Sony was planning to release several films to turn this franchise into a cinematic universe, Sinister Six being one of these movies. But once The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed and Sony teamed up with Marvel Studios to bring the Web-Slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sinister Six was shelved. Four years later, Drew Goddard still looks back fondly at his time writing Sinister Six and notes that perhaps there will come a day where his movie becomes a reality. In Goddard's words:
It was really fun. I wouldn't have done it had I not thought there was a real opportunity to do something different and exciting and just flat-out bananas. It was very much me and --- a much more commercial version of --- the Cabin mentality. The punk rock mentality that led to Cabin is very much at the core of Sinister Six. That's a fun one. Who knows, it could see the light of day. It's funny, I've been through a lot of volatility at a lot of different studios. Between MGM and Sony and Fox. At a certain point, you start to realize, 'Oh, this is just a volatile business' and you try to stay afloat as the boat rocks back and forth.
The movie-making world is indeed volatile, especially when it comes to the superhero genre. Sony was so sure that the Amazing Spider-Man continuity was going to grow, and less than half a decade later, Tom Holland's Spider-Man is one of the most important characters in the MCU. So even though Sinister Six has been gathering dust, as Drew Goddard mentioned to THR, perhaps his script might be dusted off at some point if enough things change.
Whether or not Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie ever sees the light of day, seeds have already been planted for the super villain team to possibly introduced into the MCU. In the Spider-Man: Homecoming mid-credits scene, Mac Gargan, better known in the comics as The Scorpion, found Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. Vulture, in prison and mentioned he and several others on the outside wanted to get revenge on Spider-Man. So perhaps in a third MCU Spider-Man movie or beyond, this sinister group of six villains will officially band together.
Then there's Sony universe of Spider-Man characters, which kicked off last weekend with the release of Venom and will include movies like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter. Given that there's been no official announcement of Spider-Man, whether he's played by Tom Holland or a brand-new version, being involved in this particular franchise, it's difficult to imagine how a Sinister Six movie could work without the Wall-Crawler being present. Then again, perhaps the story could be adjusted to work with a different hero, like Silk or Miles Morales.
The Spider-Man saga will continue when Spider-Man: Far From Home spins its web in theaters on July 5, 2019. For the Drew Goddard fans out there, his latest directorial endeavor, Bad Times at the El Royale, is now playing in theaters.
