Sony Pictures has hired Mexican-born Roberto Orci and his partner Alex Kurtzman to write the screenplay for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” which they also will executive produce, Variety reported on its Web site.
James Vanderbilt, who co-authored the screenplay for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” which will hit U.S. theaters on July 3, has written the first draft of the script for the sequel.
Production on the sequel, which is slated for a May 2014 release, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2013.
“Alex and Bob have a unique ability to write great characters and spectacular action that makes them pitch perfect for ‘Spider-Man,’” producer Matt Tolmach said. “They have an exciting take on the franchise.”
Orci and Kurtzman, meanwhile, issued a joint statement expressing their enthusiasm for the project.
“We grew up as huge ‘Spider-Man’ fans so, to us, the opportunity to work on this film is akin to being handed the Holy Grail. We love the direction Sony and the filmmakers are taking the Peter Parker/Spider-Man mythology,” the statement read.
DreamWorks is set to release Kurtzman’s directorial debut, “People Like Us,” in June.
Orci and Kurtzman, two of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriters, have written the scripts for films such as “Mission: Impossible III” (2006), “Transformers” (2007), “Star Trek” (2009) and “Cowboys & Aliens” (2011).
