Sony Schedules 'Amazing Spider-Man' Sequels for 2016 and 2018

Even though The Amazing Spider-Man 2 doesn't even hit theaters until next summer, Sony announced on Monday that it has big plans for the future of the franchise, claiming July 10, 2016, and May 4, 2018, for two future sequels.

Commenting on the announcement, [Jeff Blake, Chairman, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Sony Pictures] said, “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.”

Quite the ambitious plans there, aiming for a new Spider-Man movie every two years. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man franchise crumbled before the director was able to make it to a fourth installment, which led to Sony rebooting the series and handing the reins to Marc Webb. Honestly, that whole situation worked out well for moviegoers and the character, as The Amazing Spider-Man is far better film than Raimi's three movies, which have aged poorly since their release.

Odds are Sony locked stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone into multi-picture deals, but would those deals include a fourth film? I've heard that Webb was planning a trilogy, so does Sony's announcement change the director's plans? Based on the rumors about which villains might be appearing in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a fourth movie would definitely help spread the story out. The last thing we need is a repeat of the muddled mess of villains we saw in Spider-Man 3.