Sony Pictures is making big changes to the 'Spiderman Franchise" Aside from the new release dates for 'Sinister Six' and 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3,' it's been revealed that the studio will further expand this cinematic universe by mining one of its female superheroes for a spinoff flick.

As reported by Deadline, Sony has plans to feature a female-led 'Spider-Man' spinoff movie, focusing on one of the comic books' many female characters. All we know for sure is that Lisa Joy Nolan is writing the script, producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are onboard, and the film is eyeing a 2017 release date, but which character will be highlighted remains to be seen.

Based on what we saw in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2,' it seems likely that Black Cat will get her chance for a solo movie, since actress Felicity Jones portrayed Felicia Hardy, Black Cat's alter ego, in the Spidey sequel. Other character names tossed up for speculation by Deadline are Silver Sable, Stunner, Firestar and Spider-Woman.

'Sinister Six' will team up some of Spider-Man's best villains and will likely feature the return of Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin and Paul Giamatti's Rhino, while Doctor Octopus and Vulture were also teased. Then there's also the 'Venom' movie, which still doesn't have an official release date, though Deadline reports is titled 'Venom Carnage.'

Buried near the bottom of Deadline's extensive piece regarding changes happening in the Spider-Man universe comes the news that the Venom movie, which still is expected to be directed by Alex Kurtzman, will now be called a Venom and Carnage movie. 

Which begs the question, where does Spider-Man fit into all of this? Is Spider-Man part of Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie? Will Spider-Man fight alongside this female character who'll carry a movie in 2017? And will Spidey show up in this Venom-Carnage movie that Alex Kurtzman is attached to? There are a lot of moving parts in Sony's "Spider-Man" machine, but very few of them seem to include Spider-Man, as reported. 

After this year's "Amazing Spider-Man 2," Sony announced it would be releasing a "Sinister Six" film in 2016 and "Amazing Spider-Man 3" in 2018. Rumors also persist of a "Venom" film, focusing on Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote characters from 2007's "Spider-Man 3."A movie starring Spider-Woman seems like the most likely choice to fill that 2017 slot, though Deadline also name-checks Black Cat, Firestarter, Stunner and Silver Sable.

Director Zack Snyder revealed a photo of Wonder Woman from "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," played by Gal Gadot, at San Diego Comic Con last month. It is currently unknown how big of a role the character will play in the film, or if she will appear only as a cameo that is building toward a future "Justice League" film.

"Sinister Six" will be written and directed by Drew Goddard, known for "The Cabin in the Woods."