Marc Guggenheim Scripting Spider-Man Universe Heroine ‘Jackpot’ Movie For Sony Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures is determined to expand its Marvel Spider-Man universe headlined by a female superhero. The studio has Marc Guggenheim writing the script for Jackpot, a feature about a crime fighting mom in the comics. Guggenheim has written episodes of that comic series, with Brian Reed.

Jackpot is a superheroine with exceptional strength, and her history in the comics is a complicated one. First incarnation was Sara Ehret, a scientist, who, while pregnant, is doing gene therapy research and is exposed to “Lot 777,” a virus that rewrote the DNA in her cells. Her baby is born healthy but she realizes in addition to being a new mom she has superhuman strength after she is forced to save her family.

Eventually, she tired of the crime fighting burden and hands the suit to Alana Jobson, an ambitious pal who takes over the character but must ingest a Mutant Growth Hormone to live up to Jackpot’s superhuman abilities. Long story short, she is killed when teaming with Spider-Man to track down the villain Menace and is killed in action. A guilt-ridden Ehret returns to the job, keeping her identity secret as she raises a family while fighting crime.

Guggenheim has such comic book credits as Aquaman, Amazing Spider-Man and Superman/Batman, and videogame credits including Call of Duty 3. On the film/TV front, his work includes Law & Order, Jack & Bobby, CSI: Miami and most recently he was set by Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 to adapt Prophet, the Image Comics character hatched by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld. His work also includes Arrow, Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, and he’s making his directorial debut on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, a crossover from CW’s The Flash. He’s already in business with Sony Pictures adapting the graphic novel Gantz.

Sony scored a huge hit with Spider-Man spinoff Venom with a sequel percolating, and also has Jared Leto playing Morbius, and The Equalizer scribe Richard Wenk writing Kraven the Hunter. There are also pics in development on the characters Silk and Nightwatch, and our sister pub Variety revealed yesterday that TV director S.J. Clarkson is developing a film on another female superhero in the Spider-Man universe, Madame Web.

Guggenheim is managed by Cliff Roberts and lawyered by Ziffren Brittenham.

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