Dakota Johnson Is Joining the ‘Spider-Man’ Universe
She charmed critics in The Lost Daughter, made waves at Sundance with two buzzy indie films (Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I OK?), and is set to play Anne Elliot in Netflix’s hotly anticipated adaptation of Persuasion—but, after that, Dakota Johnson is reportedly joining Sony’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On February 3, Deadline reported that the 32-year-old is in talks to star in the studio’s Madame Web movie. “Following the massive success of Spider-man: No Way Home, Sony is looking to expand on its universe of Marvel characters,” the publication said, nodding to the blockbuster that has now grossed over $1 billion globally. “In the [Spider-man] comics, Madame Web is depicted as an elderly woman with myasthenia gravis [an autoimmune disorder which causes muscle weakness] and thus was connected to a life support system that looked like a spider web. Due to her age and medical condition, Madame Web never actively fought any villains. For that reason, sources have stressed it’s possible the project could turn into something else.”
Either way, Madame Web will mark a milestone for Sony: It’s expected to be the studio’s first modern comic book adaptation to feature a woman in the title role. S.J. Clarkson, who is known for her work on Jessica Jones and The Defenders, and is also directing Netflix’s anthology series Anatomy of a Scandal, is poised to take the helm of the project. Meanwhile, Lost in Space’s Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have penned the script. Plot details are scarce, but there’s plenty to draw from in the original comics. Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 published in November 1980, Madame Web is a telepathic, clairvoyant mutant who mentors Spider-man as well as the various female iterations of the character who come after.
Will Tom Holland’s Peter Parker make an appearance? Watch this space.
This post originally appeared on Vogue U.K.
