Deadline reports that Emma Roberts is the latest addition to the cast of Madame Web. Dakota Johnson has already been cast as the title character, while other recent additions include Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim.
As is so often the case, there's no word on who Roberts will play. However, she's a big star and this marks her first comic book movie role. With that in mind, we anticipate seeing her take on a key part in this blockbuster (hopefully as an important character from Marvel Comics lore).
Perhaps best known for starring in American Horror Story and Scream Queens, Roberts recently wrapped About Fate and continues to play an active role in FX's AHS franchise. There's not a lot of love for Sony's Marvel Universe following the release of Morbius, so fingers crossed Roberts has made a wise decision for her career here.
In the comic books, Madame Web is typically portrayed as an elderly woman who is blind and linked up to a life support system that resembles a web. She has psychic abilities and frequently uses other heroes to fight her battles; is it possible that Roberts will be one of them? With no character details revealed for anyone beyond Johnson, we can only guess, but she'd make a great villain.
Of course, it's also possible Sony will use this female-led blockbuster as an excuse to finally introduce characters like Black Cat, Silver Sable, and Jackpot.
It's hard not to be intrigued by Madame Web, especially as the character could easily become the Doctor Strange of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Thanks to the Web of Life and Destiny, she might just wind up being the person responsible for bringing together the three Spider-Men again!
S.J. Clarkson (The Defenders) is directing Madame Web from a screenplay by Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The movie is currently expected to swing into theaters on July 7, 2023.