Sony Pictures has announced The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be released on May 2, 2014, which will kick off the 2014 summer movie season. The news comes nearly a year before The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3, 2012. Here's what an unnamed Sony executive had to say about the announcement.

"I think it speaks volumes about our confidence in what we are seeing on the new film and our desire to move quickly on the next installment."

It isn't known if any deals are in place yet for cast and crew members to return, although the main stars likely signed overall deals for at least one sequel. No other movie is scheduled to open on May 2, 2014 at this time, and with a big-budget sequel like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opening the 2014 summer movie season, it seems highly unlikely that any other movie will be released on that date.