It feels like it was only yesterday, but it was actually back in 2015 that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures teamed up to find a new Spider-Man. For months, rumours swirled about who would swing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Parker, and Asa Butterfield was a top contender alongside the eventual winner of the casting hunt, Tom Holland. 

Butterfield suddenly dropped out of contention, though, leaving Holland, Charlie Plummer, and Matthew Lintz the apparent finalists. During a recent interview with Collider, the Sex Eduction star opened up on what it was like to miss out on being given the chance to be the next big screen Spider-Man.

“Every so often there’s a part [that you really want] and it’s a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you don’t get it,” he reflected. “And it is tough and it is shit, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldn’t have been able to do both of those at the same time.”

Butterfield clearly isn’t bitter, and seemed to hint that he delivered a very different take on Spider-Man when he was given the chance to audition for Captain America: Civil War.

“Tom did amazing things with Peter and he had an entirely different portrayal of him, and I think it’s worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I don’t think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end.”

It certainly would have been interesting to see what Butterfield could have brought to the table, but having seen Holland’s version, it’s hard to get too upset about the way things ultimately worked out.

What do you guys think?

For some leaked details on Sony’s Spider-Man
spinoff, Silver & Black, click on the “Next” button below!
 

Silver Sable Vs. Black Cat

It’s said that the movie was going to mostly revolve around Silver Sable – a bounty hunter for the U.S. Department of Justice – attempt to track down Felicia Hardy to bring her in to her paymasters.

In her past, Black Cat had volunteered to undergo an experimental surgery at the hands of Dr. Mendel Stromm (using his comic book alias Gaunt here) which would have seen A.I. tech installed in her body to give the master thief powers which would enhance her skill set. 

It’s unclear whether that means she was going to have Domino-style bad luck abilities, but it seems likely it was just Felicia’s strength and speed which were going to end up being enhanced.
 

Silver Sable’s Grudge

After gaining those new abilities, Black Cat escaped with her powers (which she wouldn’t have entirely mastered at this point) and headed straight to the border for South America. 

Silver Sable, meanwhile, would have been shown as having her own motivations for wanting to capture Felicia; Gaunt was responsible for the deal of her father, Ernst Sablinova, not to mention the torture and death of many of her fellow Symkarians (the anti-hero’s fictional home country). 

Sable’s plan was to use Hardy to lead her back to Gaunt so she get her revenge on the villain. 
 

The Wild Pack

If you’ve followed Silver Sable’s comic book adventures, then you’ll know all about The Wild Pack. This group of mercenaries have a storied history in the comic books, and were brought together by Silver Sable’s father. In Silver & Black, Dominic Fortune would have been given a leading role, and worked with both Ernst and Sable before joining the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Reunited with Sable under the direction of Agent Mark Sim, we were seemingly getting a version of the team here too, though the use of that character is particularly interesting as his comic book counterpart is known as Haechi, a NuHuman who first appeared in the pages of New Warriors in 2014. It’s unclear how many other members of this group were set to appear, though.
 

Ties To Spider-Man’s World

Given when Silver & Black was being made, there probably weren’t any plans for the movie to tie into what Spider-Man was up to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this report explains that Sable and Fortune (potentially joined by a team resembling The Wild Pack) were set to team up to track down Black Cat, with the end goal being to take down Gaunt. 

In order to achieve that, it’s said Sable would have reached out to one of her contacts in the Tri-Border region of South America (an epicenter for organised crime): Dimitri Smerdyakov.

As you should hopefully already know, his alter-ego is Chameleon, a classic Spider-Man villain…
 

The Chameleon

So, what exactly should we have expected from this take on the character? Well, he was reportedly a man on the run from his own past, and that he’s got quite the reputation in the Tri-Border area for being a man in the know. Surprisingly, it doesn’t sound like he was supposed to be a full-blown baddie, and was instead another mercenary who served as an ally to Silver Sable. 

Chameleon was only going to have a handful of scenes in Silver & Black, but was set to help Sable find Felica, while showing off his skills as a master of disguise. Some will argue that he deserved more than this, but it sounds more like this movie was meant to serve as an introduction for the character, with a return planned further down the line in perhaps a sequel or different spinoff. 
 

Scorpion And Tarantula

While all that was going on, more familiar faces from Spider-Man’s adventures were set to appear.

Gaunt’s plan was to add Felicia to his gang of surgically enhanced villains, and after she ruined that, he has Mac Gargan (Scorpion) and Anton Rodriguez (Tarantula) chase her down South. 

As you might expect, they’ve both been enhanced, with Gargan wearing a full exoskeleton suit, and Rodriguez rocking a boot with some razor sharp upgrades. It does sound a little like they were just generic goons meant to chase her down, so expecting them to look exactly like their comic book counterparts may have been wishful thinking. It’s hard to say for sure, however. 
 

Tombstone

Black Cat obviously has a criminal past, and that means Gaunt isn’t the only one after her.

Once upon a time, it seems Felicia Hardy crossed Lonnie Lincoln, a villain better known in the comic books as Tombstone. He’s out to put an end to her, but only has what sounds like an extended cameo. Was it worth even including him? Well, once again, it seems this may have been Sony’s way of introducing yet another classic character whose presence could be felt in future. 

Luckily for Felicia, Sable find her first, and the duo then go on the run from, well, everyone! 
 

An Action-Packed Final Act

With Silver Sable and Black Cat being pursued by Scorpion and Tarantula, they team up for what sounds like an action-packed final act which sees a set piece on a train among other big moments. 

Tarantula ends up being taken out, but Scorpion manages to get Felicia back to Gaunt and takes great pleasure in torturing her after having his ass handed to him by the two female leads. 

Teaming up with Fortune, Sable manages to infiltrate Gaunt’s lab and gets her revenge after saving her newfound ally. Here’s where things would have taken a very unexpected turn, though…
 

A Female Team Of Heroes

It’s not specified how this came together, but Silver & Black was reportedly set to end with the two titular characters assembling an all-female team of heroes made up of Spider-Woman, Jackpot, Stunner, and Dusk. Described as a “female version of the Dirty Dozen,” this was clearly meant to tease both solo projects for the characters and a future Avengers-style movie for them.

Casting this lot for a cameo and then locking them in for future films would have been a big undertaking. However, it’s hard not to get excited about what a scene like this may have looked like.

Of course, the big question many of us had about the film was Norman Osborn’s role…
 

What About Norman Osborn?

Fairly early on, the plan was for Norman Osborn to appear in Silver & Black. As much as fans want to see the villain clash with Spider-Man again, it’s been done before, and Marvel Studios definitely appears to be intent on using bad guys who haven’t been featured in previous movies. 

In an early draft, Osborn was the one funding Stromm’s work, while Charles Standish was set to serve as his messenger. The future Green Goblin, meanwhile, would only be seen, not heard. 

However, once Marvel Studios seemingly started expressing an interest in the character, both Osborn and Standish were reportedly removed from the screenplay, so take that as you will…
 

During a recent interview with Variety, Anne Hathaway reflected in her time working with Christopher Nolan on both The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. It’s no secret that the filmmaker has a unique approach to his work, but that’s paid off in a big way, especially as he’s now one of only a handful of directors whose name can be used to sell a blockbuster. 

Tenet is dictating when theaters re-open, and the hope is that it will be the movie that brings people back to multiplexes (hence why Disney decided to move Mulan after Nolan’s film opens). 

Hathaway explained that the filmmaker doesn’t allow phones on his sets – which is pretty standard – but also explained that Nolan doesn’t allow chairs either! “Chris also doesn’t allow chairs. I worked with him twice. He doesn’t allow chairs, and his reasoning is, if you have chairs, people will sit, and if they’re sitting, they’re not working,” she revealed.

“I mean, he has these incredible movies in terms of scope and ambition and technical prowess and emotion. It always arrives at the end under schedule and under budget. I think he’s onto something with the chair thing.” It may sound harsh, but it does make sense when you stop and think about it, and is something that’s paid off for Nolan over the years.

What do you guys make of Nolan’s lack of chairs on the set of his movies?

Click on the “Next” button below to check out the
Batman vs. Joker stories we want to see in The Batman sequel!
 

10. “Under The Hood”

“Under the Hood” told the story of Jason Todd’s return to Gotham City as a murderous vigilante. He had been believed dead after being murdered by The Joker, but took on the identity originally held by the Clown Prince of Crime to get revenge on both him and his former mentor.

This story revolved mostly around the relationship between Batman and his former Robin, with The Joker more on the periphery, but that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Fans have been crying out for this for years, and Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves would be smart to make it happen.

Perhaps it could be revealed that Robin helped Batman during the first year of his career (seeing as The Batman takes place during the second) before being killed by The Joker? Failing that, this is a storyline which could be adapted in a third or fourth movie starring the Caped Crusader.
 

9. “Five Way Revenge”

“Five Way Revenge” came at a time when Batman comics desperately needed to move away from the campy tone established by the 1960s TV series. The story revolved around The Joker’s attempt to take out five henchman who had displeased him in various ways, leaving the Dark Knight with no other choice than to protect those he would normally beat and put behind bars.

As well as showing The Joker’s disregard for those in his employ, this story increased the complexity of Batman and The Joker’s relationship. After ambushing a tired and weakened Batman, the villain decided that his victory was a case of luck rather than being the better man, so he chose to leave his foe alive. Elements of all of this in a movie would work nicely down the line. 

It’s an admittedly obscure tale, but one Reeves could flesh out in a multitude of satisfying ways. 
 

8. The Long Halloween

A truly epic tale, The Long Halloween featured The Joker in a fairly minor, but still pivotal role. The story revolved around a year-long mystery as Batman took on almost all of his iconic foes while simultaneously trying to take down a mysterious murderer known only as “The Holiday Killer.”

Furious at being outshone by him, the Clown Prince of Crime took to the skies on New Year’s Eve in a bid to spread a poison gas across Gotham. An epic battle ensued which saw Batman battle his foe for control of the plane, at one point getting his cape caught in the propeller.

He eventually took The Joker down, and with rumblings that this storyline could be adapted in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, we’d definitely like to see this subplot adapted in a future movie.
 

7. Death Of The Family

When The Joker escapes captivity, he leaves something behind; his face! Months later, the villain resurfaces and steals it back, spending this arc with the decomposing skin strapped to his face with a belt and fishing hooks. Things get even more twisted than that though when he starts targeting each of Batman’s closest allies, and this is begging for a big screen adaptation.

It’s revealed that Bruce has always suspected that The Joker knows his secret identity after he found a playing card left for him in the Batcave, while he also admits to visiting The Joker in Arkham Asylum (out of costume) to see if the villain would acknowledge him. Batman even claims to know his foe’s real name, leading to him jumping from a cliff before he can say it.

This storyline really deepened the Dark Knight’s relationship with the Clown Prince of Crime, and could be the best possible way to reintroduce the character in an original and memorable way.
 

6. “The Man Who Killed Batman”

This is a story which hails from the massively popular Batman: The Animated Series rather than a comic book, but seeing elements of this classic tale in a movie would be no bad thing.

The unique episode focused on a hapless gangster known as Sid the Squid, a criminal who it appears succeeded in killing Batman. This obviously brings him in contact with many grateful bad guys, but The Joker is less pleased about this nobody doing what he never could.

Incensed by both that and the loss of his enemy, he looks to take out Sid, but is stopped at the last minute by a very much alive Batman. There’s obviously not enough here for an entire movie, but there’s no denying that elements of this could work brilliantly as a subplot or side story.
 

5. “The Man Who Laughs”

Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke’s “The Man Who Laughs” serves as a modern retelling of the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin story, and serves as a loose sequel to “Batman: Year One.”

That alone could make it an ideal follow-up to The Batman, and while we got an origin for this villain in Joker, a comic accurate take which incorporates the Red Hood and ACE Chemicals would definitely be appreciated by fans. Batman could even spend most of the movie battling Red Hood before this transformation takes place and he’s introduced to his most twisted foe. 

“The Man Who Laughs” offered an in-depth, layered take on The Joker, and that’s definitely something which could help differentiate this version from the many great ones we’ve seen before.
 

4. The Killing Joke

Arguably the most well-known and iconic Batman/Joker story of all-time, The Killing Joke is just begging to be adapted. While The Joker’s treatment of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl has always been mired in controversy (he shoots her, then proceeds to take nude photos of her to taunt her father with), that would need to be included here in some form, and hopefully in a better way.

Regardless, after attempting to mentally break Jim Gordon, an epic showdown with Batman ensues, but ends in a surprising way. The two share a laugh as they wait for the police to arrive, but there are those who speculate that the sudden end of The Joker’s laughter is because Batman kills him.

There’s nothing to say that this would have to be a 100% faithful adaptation, of course, but Reeves would definitely be wise to lift elements from this in order to make a clash between the two truly memorable.
 

3. “Endgame”

A follow-up of sorts to “Death of the Family,” this story saw The Joker return to Gotham City more powerful than ever, poisoning the entire city with a formula which drives them insane.

The only way to cure them is for Batman to extract a mysterious chemical from The Joker’s spine, but there are hints along the way that the villain is actually hundreds of years old and possibly some sort of immortal who has been causing chaos in the city for centuries. Crazy, right?

That is later debunked when it’s revealed that he found a chemical which healed his face and gave him enhanced strength, and after a battle which sees both Batman and The Joker left bloodied and maimed, they’re buried underground. Needless to say, this has all the makings of an epic movie, and could be a great way to reinvent the Clown Prince of Crime for a new story.
 

2. The Dark Knight Returns

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice obviously paid homage to The Dark Knight Returns in a lot of ways, but The Joker was obviously nowhere to be seen, and the villain’s role in that famed Frank Miller story could very easily be used to influence a possible sequel to The Batman. 

Faking a recovery after years of being institutionalised, The Joker ends up poisoning an entire TV studio during an interview, and soon finds himself on a collision course with Batman as a result. However, the aged Batman in this story is in no mood to play games with his old foe, blinding him with a Batarang to the eye and breaking his neck after a vicious beating in a Tunnel of Love.

Unable to kill his paralysed enemy, The Joker laughs as he finishes the job, framing Batman for his murder in the process. Is this too dark for Reeves? Perhaps, but the villain could always fake his death!
 

1. “Death In The Family”

This iconic tale saw readers vote to kill off Robin, and the youngster died after a brutal beating from The Joker with a crowbar. The image of Batman cradling his sidekick is iconic, and a moment which both changed the Caped Crusader forever and made people question why he would take a child into battle against foes as dangerous as the Clown Prince of Crime. 

As we’ve established, if “Under the Hood” is adapted, this needs to come first, and it would be no bad thing for The Batman sequel to adapt this story and deal with Jason Todd’s return down the line.

The DC Extended Universe hinted at Robin’s fate in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder would later reveal that the defaced costume belonged to Dick Grayson. We’d rather this franchise not head down a similar route, but the rise, fall, and resurrection of Robin is a story worth telling.