Silver and Black has been delayed…again!
Last May, we learned that Sony Pictures had hired Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights) to write and direct a Spider-Man spin-off revolving around Black Cat and Silver Sable. At that time, Sony planned to begin production in the fall of 2017. A month later, Amy Pascal promised that casting announcements would be made soon.
None of that happened, but it was reported in January that cameras would start rolling this March in Atlanta, and additional shooting would take place in Mexico at a later date. That had us hoping that we’d finally learn who was going to take on the roles of Felicia Hardy and Silver Sablinova, but it now appears that we’ll be waiting a little longer to hear that bit of news.
That Hashtag Show recently reported that Sony has "indefinitely" held up production on Silver and Black. Earlier this month, they brought in Lindsey Beer (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) to work on the script. Other contributors included Lisa Joy (Westworld), Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnarok), and more recently, Prince-Bythewood. The studio's desire to bring the script up to standard is apparently the reason behind the delay.
During an interview with Discussing Film, costume designer Ruth E. Carter (Black Panther) indicated that the work had been delayed to improve the screenplay. She added that she’d be working on the female-driven superhero movie, and was just waiting for the writers to turn in the latest draft of the script:
I did sign to do Silver Sable and Black Cat, and Sony Pictures is actually doing it. It's getting script rewrites right now, so I'm waiting to get the signal that I'm going back to work.
UPDATE: Gina Prince-Bythewood tweeted that she’s just waiting for the script rewrite to be submitted:
Still working on the script. All about the script.
"” Gina Prince-Bythewood (@GPBmadeit) February 24, 2018
This is the second time the movie’s failed to meet its production schedule, but it's still not time to hit the panic button. Wonder Woman opened the door for additional female superhero movies, but it also set some pretty high standards. Studios want to take on similar projects, but its vital that they avoid putting out a mediocre movie.
Joss Whedon recently bolted from Batgirl when he realized that he "really didn’t have a story" after an entire year of preparation. The Silver and Black situation appears to be a bit better than that, since Prince-Bythewood hasn't walked away. But it's safe to assume that the movie isn’t going to hit the theaters on February 8, 2019.
