Despite the fact that the second instalment in its rebooted franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, doesn't hit cinemas for close to a year, Sony Pictures has today announced its securing the long-term future of the Spidey series with not one but two further sequels, set to hit screens in 2016 and 2018 respectively."Spider-Man is our most important, most successful, and most beloved franchise, so we’re thrilled that we are in a position to lock in these prime release dates over the next five years," said Jeff Blake, Chairman of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, revealing that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 will open on June 10th, 2016, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 4 on May 4th, 2018.
Following three hugely successful Spider-Man films from Sam Raimi (the third in terms of box office, at least), Sony rebooted the series last year under director Marc Webb, as Andrew Garfield took on the mantle of the wall-crawler for The Amazing Spider-Man, which pulled in over $750 million world-wide, despite a somewhat mixed reception from fans.
Webb and Garfield are currently busy shooting The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which reteams the duo with Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) and Sally Field (Aunt May), alongside newcomers such as Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Dane DeHaan (Chronicle), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) and Chris Cooper (American Beauty). The film is set for release on May 2nd, 2014.