(UN)FABULOUS

Sony’s Next Spider-Man Movie, ‘Madame Web,’ Adds Yet Another It Girl

Dakota Johnson improbably stars as the old-lady superhero, alongside Sydney Sweeney and, now, Emma Roberts in undisclosed roles.

Madame Web is casting all the It Girls. After Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney entangled themselves in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, Emma Roberts has tapped in for the fun. Perhaps we’ve got the spider version of Barbie on the way here?

Johnson, who just appeared in the feel-good movie Cha Cha Real Smooth, will play the titular arachnid, but as of now, we don’t know Roberts’ (or any of the other cast’s) role. Along with Johnson, Sweeney, and Roberts, Madame Web’s cast includes Father of the Bride’s Isabela Merced and The Serpent’s Tahar Rahim.

After she finishes up production on the romantic comedy Maybe I Do featuring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, and Holidate co-star Luke Bracey, Roberts will head over to her very first Marvel Cinematic Universe-adjacent shoot. The actress is also ramping up on her producing credits, including Netflix’s recent lesbian vampire series First Kill and an upcoming series about Betches, a popular entertainment blog.

Marvel fans, however, are struggling to figure out the idea behind Madame Web. The original comics follow an elderly clairvoyant who assisted Spider-Man, sporting a spider web-styled support system to aid her neuromuscular disease. But Dakota Johnson, 32, is nowhere near being an elderly woman. Yet she’s known for telling many lies (the limes!), so perhaps she’s been hiding under a gorgeously youthful mask this entire time.

As Disney expands its official Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony—tapping in every once in a while for Spider-Man content—is doubling down on its (more limited version) as well. After Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the studio flopped with Morbius (though it could be an early qualifier for the cult classic title) Both Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web remain on the way.

Will Roberts, Sweeney, and Johnson be subjected to the meme treatment like the Mobius and Venom cringefests before them? Or will Sony finally win some critical acclaim in the Marvel department, thanks to three killer leading ladies? We’ll find out when Madame Web hits theaters in July 2023.

Fletcher PetersEntertainment Reporter

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