Roberto Orci Exits 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3'; Timeline Still in Flux

How's this for screwy? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has grossed $704M up to this point and is in the top highest-earning movies of 2014, and yet it's still considered a failure. To be fair it is the weakest of the bunch in terms of box office if we include Sam Raimi's trilogy. There have been rumblings of some tweaking in Sony's rather ambitious Spidey plans, which include Sinister Six and Venom films, and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 slated for June 2016. But as we heard recently, it's unclear when these movies will actually come out and in what order, and according to screenwriter Roberto Orci that confusion continues.

Speaking with IGN, Orci has confirmed he is "not officially involved" with The Amazing Spider-Man 3, presumably so he can focus on Paramount's Star Trek 3, which is expected to be his directorial debut. Orci had been part of the Spidey "brain trust" that included his former writing partner Alex Kurtzman and Drew Goddard. Kurtzman is still set to direct Venom, Goddard has his sights set on Sinister Six, and Marc Webb is returning to wrap up his run with The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Just because the names are in place doesn't mean anything else has been figured out, starting with the scheduling for all three films...

Orci:  “I don’t know what their plans are for that franchise.  I don’t ever want to say never, but we have to figure out what their scheduling is in terms of when they want each movie. I’ve read probably as much as anyone else. There’s a love for the Sinister Six, the idea of Venom — there’s an idea of Spider-Man’s going to be one of these characters that’s part of our business. He’s such a popular character. Spider-Man’s not going to go away any time soon. When it all happens and how and all that has yet to be determined.”

The big problem with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was that it felt like a set up movie for the spinoffs rather than a story focused on Peter Parker. That's one of the big problems with Sony planning so far ahead and it will be interesting to see they are able to correct course.