Drew Goddard's big Spider-Man movie about the Sinister Six went down because of the Sony hack, as he recently revealed. Speaking to promote his latest project, the screenwriter opened up about a film that could have changed superhero cinema entirely.
Back in 2013, Sony Pictures had ambitious plans to build its own cinematic universe around Spider-Man's villains. The Sinister Six, which would've set Spider-Man's deadliest adversaries against Andrew Garfield's version of Peter Parker, was set in motion, with Goddard attached to both write and direct the project. The studio was deep in pre-production, mapping out a vision that would prioritise the rogues gallery as protagonists rather than simple antagonists.
The infamous 2014 cyberattack orchestrated by a group calling themselves the "Guardians of Peace" changed everything. Goddard's office was right on the Sony lot, and he saw the FBI swarm in and the helicopters fly over the studio. The immediate aftermath of what would become one of the most damaging corporate breaches in history forced Sony to reassess its entire slate.
Sony organised internal teams to manage the loss of data to the Internet, and contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the private security firm FireEye to help protect Sony employees whose personal data was exposed. The cyberattack leaked thousands of internal emails, unreleased screenplays, employee information, and details of Sony's future film plans. For a studio already struggling with the disappointing box office performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the breach became an inflection point.
In the wake of the hack's fallout, Sony abandoned its standalone villain plans and announced a deal to collaborate with Marvel Studios on future Spider-Man films in February 2015. Due to the outcry from fans over the leaked emails, the Spider-Man license was eventually negotiated to be shared between both studios. This partnership ultimately brought Tom Holland's Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside a series of solo MCU Spider-Man films.
For Goddard himself, the disappointment was real but pragmatic. He noted he was sad about the Sinister Six cancellation, but there was literally nothing he could do to change the course of events. Rather than languish on the studio lot, he pivoted quickly. Goddard pivoted to writing 2015's The Martian, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. More recently, he's been hired to write and direct The Matrix 5, marking the first film in the franchise outside the Wachowskis' direct involvement.
The irony is that superhero audiences eventually did get to see multiple Spider-Man villains on screen together. The MCU timeline got a variation of the Sinister Six plot through Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro, Doctor Octopus, and the Lizard from Tobey Maguire and Garfield's movies together. But Goddard's original vision, with its ambitious scope and villain-first narrative, remains an intriguing road not travelled.