When Andrew Garfield was still playing Spider-Man and there were plans for that Spidey film series to expand into a cinematic universe, The Martian’s Drew Goddard was tapped to write a Sinister Six spinoff. However, Sony ended up cancelling it, the other spinoffs and the next two Amazing Spider-Man movies in favor of partnering up with Marvel Studios to bring Tom Holland’s Web-Slinger into the MCU. While The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s underperformance obviously factored into this decision, Goddard has revealed another reason Sinister Six went by the wayside that shockingly involved the FBI.
Goddard has been making the press rounds for his newest movie, the Ryan Gosling-led Project Hail Mary, which opens on the 2026 movies schedule this weekend. During his interview with Variety, the filmmaker was asked about films he’s worked on that were scrapped, and he pointed his focus on Sinister Six:
I had a big Spider-Man movie about the Sinister Six go down because of the Sony hack. My office was right on the lot, and I saw the FBI swarm in and the helicopters fly over the studio. I was sad about it, but there was literally nothing I could do to change the course of events. I suppose it was better than if they hadn’t liked the script.
For those who don’t remember, Sony Pictures Entertainment was hacked on November 24, 2014, with everything from future film plans to personal information on employees being leaked online. Then on December 16 of the same year, the group responsible for the hack, known as the Guardians of Peace, threatened to take terrorist action if the Seth Rogen and James Franco-led comedy The Interview was released in theaters. Sony ultimately scrapped the wide release and made it available to purchase or rent digitally, and U.S. intelligence officials later determined that the North Korean government was involved in the hack.
Article continues belowI can only imagine how surprised Drew Goddard was to one minute be working in his office on the Sony lot, and then the next seeing the FBI swarm in response to the hack. No doubt that ruined his productivity for the rest of the day. Alas, the bigger deal for him ended up being Sinister Six being scrapped as part of the fallout from the hack. Had things gone according to the original plan, the sextet of Spider-Man villains would have snagged the cinematic spotlight for themselves in December 2016.
Instead, the setup for the supervillain team’s formation at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was left unresolved, though at least Andrew Garfield got to reprise his Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While it remains to be seen if Tom Holland will ever face the Sinister Six, we will see him clash with baddies like Scorpion and Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. We’re also getting small screen Spider-Man action in May with the Prime Video subscription-exclusive Spider-Noir, which will include villains like Electro and Sandman.
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