With Spider-Man: No Way Home breaking box office records and Venom: Let There Carnage similarly exceeding expectations, Sony Pictures is looking to continue expanding its slate of Marvel movies. Morbius arrives in theaters this April, of course, and Deadline has now revealed that Dakota Johnson is in talks to take on the title role in Madame Web.
S.J. Clarkson (The Defenders) is directing the movie from a screenplay by Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.
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; as a result, the trade notes that "sources have stressed it’s possible the project could turn into something else."
Common sense says that Johnson will either play a much younger Madame Web in an origin story or the Julia Carpenter version of the character. She was a Spider-Woman granted Web's powers when she died, and an amalgam of both characters could help lead to an increase in action scenes!
Sony Pictures has reportedly met with a number of A-List stars to discuss Madame Web, but Johnson has been the frontrunner since right before the holidays. The actress is perhaps best known for the Fifty Shades franchise, but also appeared in The Social Network, 21 Jump Street and, most recently, Netflix's The Lost Daughter.
Madame Web doesn't currently have a release date, but will likely begin production soon.