Deadline has reported that Dakota Johnson has officially been cast as Madame Web for a solo film in the Sony Marvel Universe.
After the success of Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, there is no shortage of demand for Spider-Verse films, and the Madame Web film is just another step in expanding it in addition to Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Madame Web is a classic character from the Spider-Man comics, generally depicted as an elderly lady who requires a life-support machine that just so happens to look like a web. She is often compared to Doctor Strange in her psychic powers but is rarely in the thick of the action due to her age and condition. This could mean that this film is a very different take on the comic-book genre, maybe not as action-heavy as the rest.
Dakota Johnson first broke out as a lead in the Fifty Shades of Grey films and most recently starred in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, on Netflix, which was met with rave reviews. She is also set to star in and produces Am I Ok? and Cha Cha Real Smooth, both set to release this year.
The Madame Web film is anticipated to go into further production soon, with Marvel’s Jessica Jones director S.J. Clarkson set to direct the picture. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are on board as writers and have already written the screenplay.