[WARNING - Amazing Spider-Man 2 SPOILERS Follow!]

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Out of all the superhero movies currently in development (about 40 in the next six years), Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise is the only one that doesn't seem to have a clear sketch of the future. There has been a lot of talk about ambitious plans (Venom and Sinister Six spinoffs), but beyond the creative teams assigned to these projects, there's been little forward motion to speak of.

Rumor, however, has been pushing ahead steadily. Word is Amazing Spider-Man 3 is on hold for the next few years; Sinister Six could reboot the franchise yet again (with a new actor as Spidey); the Venom movie may be dead; and it's even being whispered that we are getting a female Spidey character spinoff film featuring characters like Black Cat, Silver Sable and Spider-Woman. Of course, as always, rumors of Spider-Man joining Marvel's Avengers cinematic universe have continued, unabated.

The only thing we actually know for sure is how little we actually know; however, one thing is for certain: Sony needs to put all their best cards out and lay them down in order to court a potential billion-dollar payday from another Spider-Man movie, in any form.

Since Amazing Spider-Man movie rumors seem more prevalent than actual facts these days, this latest one should come as no surprise: According to Christian Today, franchise star Emma Stone's character Gwen Stacy could be returning in a future film - despite having died in at the end of Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Emma Stone on Gwen Stacy's importance in Amazing Spider-Man 2

Fans of the comic books know that the Gwen Stacy character (who has had multiple incarnations over nearly half a century) has been resurrected from death several times, the two most famous ways being cloning and as the human disguise of killer symbiote creature, Carnage. The clone of Gwen was part of the infamous "Clone Sagas" that took place in 1970s and 1990s, when Spider-Man nemesis The Jackal (aka Professor Miles Warren) used cloning technology to mess with Spidery's world. The Carnage Gwen was part of the villain's re-imagining for the Ultimate Spider-Man continuity.

Here's the thing about his particular rumor: It's extremely suspect. The Christian Today article mentions the following Spider-Man movie rumors in addition to the return of Gwen:

If you click any of the links above, what you'll find our own earlier reports (unconfirmed rumor reports, mind you) that basically suggest the same information. In fact, Christian Today's quote from Andrew Garfield - regarding Miles Morales - is exactly the same one that outlets ran with six months ago.

Even Gwen Stacy's resurrection  has been floated as an idea before. In fact, I floated it to Emma Stone myself, during press rounds of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the answer wasn't "no"  (2:40 mark):

Final verdict: This "RUMOR" seems more like a roundup of info Christian Today read on the Internet and reported as legitimate rumor. The fact that the site doesn't cite any official source, makes things even more shady.

For our part, we have said repeatedly that seeing Emma Stone's cute face melt away or start contorting like something out of John Carpenter's The Thing would be all the reason in the world to bring in the Gwen/Carnage symbiote. By the same token (and despite all the hate it often gets), seeing the clone saga adapted into a movie - in particular the Miles Warren/Jackal antagonist - would be fairly compelling, as well.

Amazing Spider-Man Gwen Stacy Carnage

But again: right now we know little to nothing OFFICIAL about what Sony is doing with this franchise, and this latest RUMOR doesn't seem like it's actually offering us anything new. Right now, it's all about what fans want to see out of this franchise - so come discuss and speculate with us in the comments.

NEXT: Possible Spider-Man Franchise Plans

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Sinister Six will be in theaters November 11, 2016 (maybe?).

Source: Christian Today (via Screen Crush)