Madame Web’s Dakota Johnson Says Script Underwent “Drastic” Changes After She Joined Project

It’s not unusual for a movie’s script to change from the start of the moviemaking process to the end, but according to Madame Web star Dakota Johnson, the script for Sony’s latest entry in the Spider-Man universe saw huge changes after she signed on for the film. According to The Wrap, the specific changes are unknown but Johnson says that the script she read when joining the film isn’t what was ultimately made.

“There were drastic changes,” Johnson said. “And I can’t even tell you what they were.”

Johnson was equally as frank about the challenges faced when making the film, particularly filming multiple variations of the same scene because Johnson’s character, Cassandra Webb, can see the future.

“It added so many different camera set-ups, like triple the amount of work,” Johnson said. “And it was very complex, and there’s only like minor differences between each version of the same scene, so it was like puzzle pieces, and really paying attention what moment we’re in, and what angle we’re in, and continuity and things like that.”

Johnson Previously Revealed Her Experiences Using Blue Screen Felt “Absolutely Psychotic”

Johnson previously opened up about another challenge in making Madame Web: the use of blue screen for CGI effects. Johnson called the experience “absolutely psychotic”, though she also noted that she trusted Madame Web director SJ Clarkson.

“I’ve never really done a movie where you are on a blue screen, and there’s fake explosions going off, and someone’s going, ‘Explosion!’ and you act like there’s an explosion,” Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “That to me was absolutely psychotic. I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to be good at all! I hope that I did an okay job!’”

She continued, “But I trusted [Clarkson]. She works so hard, and she has not taken her eyes off this movie since we started.”

What Is Madame Web About?

In Madame Web, Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson) is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary. 

“It’s really the story of Madame Web,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously told ComicBook.com. “So, in that respect, if you’re a Spider-Man fan, you’re gonna love the character because you know it from the comic books, which she doesn’t really have that big a character in the comic books, we’re doing the origin story of Madame Web. And so, you meet her before she’s actually the person that you know in the comic book and you come to understand how she becomes that person. So, I think that’ll be a really fresh new terrain for the fans.”

Who Stars in Madame Web?

In addition to Johnson, Madame Web will also star Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter / Spider-Woman, Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon / Spider-Woman, and Celeste O’Connor as Mattie Franklin / Spider-Woman. The film will also star Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims, with Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet cast in currently unknown roles.

“I’ve always been a really big fan of all the Marvel and Sony Universe movies,” Sydney explained in a 2022 interview shortly after being cast. “I’ve grown up watching them all and I’ve been engulfed in the entire world my entire life, so being able to be a part of that is such an incredible, incredible thing.”

Madame Web opens exclusively in theaters on February 14th.