Alex Kurtzman Updates On 'Spider-Man' And Universal Monsters

Over the past week, a great deal of talk has centered on two men: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Formerly partners, the two split amicably a few months back to work on different projects. Before the split, however, the team behind Star Trek and Transformers were both attached to the Amazing Spider-Man and Universal Monsters franchises. Then Orci moved onto Star Trek 3, said he was off Spider-Man, and Kurtzman gained Chris Morgan on his quest to expand the story of the Universal Monsters. Basically, there are a lot of moving parts to both sets of films, and we've been wondering how was it all going to work. Is Amazing Spider-Man 3 dead? What about Sinister Six and Venom? Which would come first? And what's up with those Universal Monsters projects like The Mummy?

Lucky for us, Kurtzman and Orci also work on TV and that means they're at the TCA Press Tour in Los Angeles this week. There, Kurtzman did his best to clear up a bit of what's going on with both franchises, without revealing too much of course.

Kurtzman spoke to Collider and here are a few important excerpts from the interview.

What are you working on right now?Alex Kurtzman: Front and center right now is Chris Morgan and I working on getting The Mummy off the ground and building up our Monster Universe. That's where I'm spending my time. And working with Drew Goddard on Sinister Six.Could Guillermo del Toro be part of Frankenstein?Nothing would make us happier. We're only at the beginning exploratory phase of all of it, but I'm a crazy huge Guillermo del Toro fan. So, anything he wants to be involved in, we'd be honored.Talk more about the Universal Monsters Universe:I think it's incredibly important to all of us to start focusing on each movie, and make each movie great, rather than thinking, "Okay, we want to do The Avengers next." If that comes along, it will come along organically. When I was a kid, going to Universal Studios, which was all I wanted to do, all the time, there was a show that was all the monsters, and I loved that show. I was obsessed with Dracula. I was obsessed with Frankenstein. I was obsessed with the Wolfman. This guy used to get stretched on a rack, live and in front of the audience. It was so cool. It's very exciting. It's like being a kid in a candy store, getting to play with all those things again, at the very studio that birthed these monsters, in the first place. Most importantly, we're really wanting to just do each one right. I think the world will come to us, if we build them correctly.Some monsters will get their own movie. Other monsters will appear in other movies, as secondary characters. The balance of that is what we're working out right now.

Then, here's the full discussion about Spider-Man. All the answers are short, but telling. Thanks again to Collider:

Q:Where are you at with The Amazing Spider-Man 3, in terms of timing?A: It's still in conversation. Everybody is still figuring it out.So, it's too soon to say when we'll see it?It's all up for grabs, right now. We're just trying to figure it out.And where will Venom fit in?Venom will come after Sinister Six, I think is the plan.And you'll direct that?Yeah.Fans are clamoring for more female-starring superhero films, and you've got Black Cat in that universe. Is there any chance we could see her?Anything is possible. We are always looking for opportunities like that. I can't say a whole lot about it, but I wouldn't rule anything out.Would you like to see her in the next Spider-Man film, since you did set up her alter-ego?Possibly, sure.Do you have some connective tissue planned between Sinister Six and Venom?Everything is still on the table, right now. Because it's a universe outside of the Spider-Man universe, even though it's connected to it, those movies have to stand on their own. So, we'll see. We'll see how it goes.

To recap. He's working on Mummy and Sinister Six right now, Sinister Six will come out before he directs Venom. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 might not be next. Black Cat could make an appearance. Also, I really like what he's saying about the Universal Monsters stuff. Don't focus on the fourth film. Focus on each individual film and, if those work, the pay off will be there.

What do you think about Kurtzman's comments on all of this stuff?