A new rumor details that Sony is developing a Spider-Man spin-off film based on the superhero Jackpot.
Deadline reports the film is being written by veteran comic book writer and TV show scribe Marc Guggenheim. Guggenheim’s comic credits include Blade, Star Wars, X-Men, and Spider-Man.
His film and TV credits include Green Lantern, Arrow, Supergirl, Vixen, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But maybe most notably he wrote a Jackpot miniseries back in 2009.
Deadline details the film is still in early development and didn’t provide any details on what the film would be about other than information about the character’s history in Marvel Comics.
Related: Sony Reveals MASSIVE Details About Their Post-Venom Spider-Man Movie Universe
This isn’t the first mention of a Jackpot live-action adaptation.
Back in August 2018, Variety’s Brent Lang and Justin Kroll indicated that Sony Pictures was “in the process of developing movies based on Silk, Jackpot, and Nightwatch, and is actively looking for writers to pen scripts.”
At the time, president of Columbia Pictures Sanford Panitch explained the films would more than likely connect to Spider-Man, “Spider-Man connects to a lot of the characters. There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized, and utterly unique.”
He added, “We feel there’s no reason the Marvel characters shouldn’t be able to embrace diversity.”
Who Is Jackpot?
Jackpot is actually one of the more recent characters who’ve graced the pages of Spider-Man. Her debut came in the pages of Spider-Man: Swing Shift in 2007 by Dan Slott and Phil Jimenez.
After her first appearance, she appeared in other titles before getting her own mini-series in 2010’s Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot.
Jackpot or Sara Ehret is a pregnant scientist working at a subsidiary of Oscorp. At this subsidiary she works on gene therapy to cure Parkinson’s disease. She becomes accidentally exposed to Lot 777, a virus that rewrites DNA.
The exposure left her in a coma for months, and though fearing for the safety of her unborn child, her delivery went without any complications. However, when falling debris threatened the safety of her family, she exhibited superhuman strength to save them.
Ehret isn’t the only version of Jackpot. Alana Jobson, a former social worker, actually purchased Ehret’s Jackpot S.R.A. License and took on the identity of Jackpot.
In order to acquire superhuman abilities she took a cocktail of Mutant Growth Hormone, Amphetamines, steroids, and Human Growth Hormone.
In an origin story, Jobson is shown as a lesbian, who is secretly attracted to Ehret. However, she masks her sexuality by pretending to be romantically interested in Spider-Man.
During one mission with Spider-Man, she botches a rescue attempt. One of the hostages dies during the mission. She continues with a very haphazard superhero career. She eventually dies from a lethal combination of her drugs and a toxin introduced by a villain inducing blindness.
Spider-Man eventually discovers the identity of the first Jackpot. He lectures her on how she shirked her responsibilities. The lecture works and Ehret once again takes on the hero identity of Jackpot, and goes about superheroing.
However, like her first time as a superhero her secret identity is quickly discovered, but instead of it being discovered by someone like Jobson who wants to be a superhero, it’s discovered by the a group of villains including The Rose and Boomerang.
Boomerang attacks Jackpot at her home in the middle of dinner and murders her husband and severely wounds her daughter.
After seeking justice against Boomerang his cohorts, Ehret and her daughter take on new identities to protect themselves. Her daughter takes on the name of Sydney, while Ehret honors her fallen comrade Alana Jobson by taking her name.
It is unclear which character they might use for the film. It is possible they could use both versions in the same film as they did in the comics.
The 2009 series is the last significant thing we hear of the character in the comics.
As for why Sony might be interested in adapting a relatively obscure Spider-Man character, scooper Mikey Sutton detailed in his Fly Talk earlier this month, “Sony Pictures needs to keep the lights on and their Spider-Man IPs are gold.”
He added, “And while their relationship with Marvel Studios is getting stronger, Kevin Feige has to prioritize Disney’s own offerings so he can’t produce everything Sony needs to continue functioning.”
He continued, “There will be more collaborations between the companies involving Spider-Man and affiliated characters. Beyond that, Sony has to keep making Marvel films on their own that may or may not tease a connection or two with the MCU.”
What do you make of this news of Sony finally moving forward with the Jackpot film? Sound off in the comments below or let’s talk about it on social media!