Earlier this week, American Horror Story star Emma Roberts became the latest addition to Sony Pictures' Madame Web. She joins an impressive cast that includes Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, and Dakota Johnson as a much younger Cassandra Webb than the character's comic book counterpart.
Aside from Johnson, we don't know who anyone is playing, but some fans are convinced this movie will actually be some sort of female-led team-up introducing the likes of Black Cat, Silver Sable, and Spider-Woman.
It would make all the sense in the world for Sony to finally introduce its own female Spider-hero, especially with all signs pointing to Tom Holland's Spider-Man remaining in the MCU. Adding fuel to the fire is a recent Tweet shared by the same person who leaked those images of the Spider-Men and Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
"For a few weeks, I've heard whispers that the upcoming Madame Web project with Dakota Johnson isn't actually a Madame Web project at all," he reveals (via CBR), "but rather something else under the guise of Madame Web (even Deadline has alluded to it) but I haven't found any proof of that."
If correct, this is massive, and a long-overdue indication that Sony is serious about creating a Marvel Universe made up of more than just villains transformed into anti-heroes. Worryingly, Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have penned the screenplay for Madame Web, so we just need to hope S.J. Clarkson (The Defenders) can work with what they deliver.
Olivia Wilde is still believed to be in line to take the helm of a Spider-Woman movie, so there's every chance this could be where we meet Jessica Drew for the first time. We'll see.
Madame Web, or whatever this movie might end up being, is currently set to be released on July 7, 2023.