As Sony’s somewhat confusing superhero cinematic universe begins its development – a universe of Spiderman characters sans Spiderman (at least for now) – with Venom starring Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed and a Black Cat/Silver Sable film in the works, they will likely want to make some waves initially in order to get the universe off to a good start.
A big name director would certainly help. Thus it’s no surprise that they’re reportedly targeting Spike Lee to direct a possible Nightwatch movie. This is pretty much just an unconfirmed rumour at this point, and Lee is one of the last directors that comes to mind when you think comic book movie, but with the genre as big as ever, who knows?
The Nightwatch character is a doctor who becomes his alter ego after seeing a man die in an alley, and upon removing the man’s mask sees it’s actually an older version of himself. He takes the costume and begins fighting crime on the street. Reportedly Sony wanted to use Nightwatch in Spider-Man: Homecoming before scrapping the idea.
Whether Sony’s interest in Lee is legitimate or not, they’re clearly trying to quickly expand this universe into something vast much like the MCU, with characters they hope can capture an audience and become just as sustainable in the long run as heroes like Thor and Captain America.
Is it likely that Lee would direct a potential Nightwatch movie? Probably not if Sony’s universe is going to go the way of the MCU, looking to strip the creativity from its directors in favour of a more easily consumable product.
If they’re willing to take risks, and willing to allow directors to put their own spin on the characters, they probably have a far higher chance of attracting some big names behind the camera. Although at the same time it might be a risk they’ve seen the DCEU take with Zack Snyder and be met with some poor critical reception, so who knows? Box office success is the bottom line.
The first film in Sony’s extended universe, Venom, will arrive in 2018.
#Peace.Love.Nightwatch
