Gina Prince-Bythewood will direct Silver and Black , an upcoming film in Sony's Marvel Universe featuring the studio's host of Spider-Man characters.

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IGN can confirm Prince-Bythewood, who directed the pilot for Freeform's Marvel's Cloak and Dagger TV series, is in negotiations to direct the film based on Silver Sable and Black Cat , and rewrite the script previously drafted by Thor: Ragnarok's Christopher Yost.In addition to Cloak and Dagger, Prince-Bythewood has directed the films Beyond the Lights and The Secret Life of Bees. She will be the first African-American woman to direct a Marvel film, and the first woman directing a Marvel-based film on her own ( Captain Marvel is co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck ) since Lexi Alexander directed Punisher: War Zone.Word of the Silver Sable/Black Cat film first broke earlier this year following in the wake of the Venom film. Both are not spinoffs of Sony and Marvel's current ongoing deal to include Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — they are instead their own universe that Sony will first establish with 2018's Venom That film recently picked up steam thanks to the announcement that Tom Hardy will star as Eddie Brock/Venom and Zombieland Ruben Fleischer will helm Venom for an October 2018 release.Black Cat, aka Felicia Hardy, is a cat burglar while Silver Sable, aka Silver Sablinova, is a war criminal-hunting mercenary. Both have been allies and adversaries of Spidey, and, in the case of Black Cat, a one-time love interest as well.Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing Silver and Black for Sony while Palak Patel and Eric Fineman are overseeing the film for Columbia Pictures. Deadline and THR first reported Prince-Bythewood's attachment to the film.Sony's Spider-Man: Homecoming will release on July 7.

Correction: This article originally stated Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first woman to direct a Marvel film on her own, when in fact Lexi Alexander directed Punisher: War Zone. IGN regrets this error.Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush