Sony is continuing to expand its live-action Spider-Man universe, and is introducing a pretty wide array of Marvel Comics characters to general audiences in the process. One of the most unexpected additions to that list has been Madame Web, a live-action film that will star Dakota Johnson as a version of the lesser-known Marvel heroine. Fans have been curious to see exactly how the project will take shape, especially as the original version of the character, Cassandra Webb, is often portrayed as a blind, superpowered elderly woman who is connected to a spiderweb-like life support system.
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A new report from Deadline, as the outlet confirmed the news that Euphoria and The White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney would be appearing in Madame Web in a mystery role, might shed more light on the titular character’s deal. According to their reporting, insiders are calling Madame Web “Sony’s version of Doctor Strange”, in part due to her “psychic sensory powers.”
This lines up with some of the specifics surrounding Madame Web in the comics — both Cassandra and her successor, a young woman named Julia Carpenter. Just before Cassandra died in the comics, Julia was bestowed with her powers and her blindness, and utilized them to help other Spider-related heroes. Some have wondered if Johnson’s take on the character would have some sort of otherworldly multiversal tie, both to give the film an interesting bent, and to bridge the gaps between the disparate parts of Sony’s existing movie canon. If the film did have a psychic element to it, it would certainly add a layer of intrigue surrounding who Sweeney is portraying in the film, with some wondering if she could play Spider-Gwen, the super-powered Gwen Stacy from another universe.
The Madame Web movie has been in the works since 2019, with Jessica Jones alum S.J. Clarkson lined up to direct. Morbius writers Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama penned the script. The project is one of several Sony Marvel movies in the works, alongside Kraven the Hunter, Venom 3, and additional MCU-set movies centered around Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
“I think the two studios have worked that out, and I don’t think that that will be a problem in the future,” Holland explained in an interview late last year. “That said, I’m just the actor and I was a part of a few phone calls during that process, but I think they love working with each other, I think they found a way in which it can be beneficial for both studios, and I’m just kind of like a kid in the middle of it, between two parents during an argument.”
Are you excited for Sony’s Madame Web movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
