Fifty Shades of Grey and The Lost Daughter actress Dakota Johnson is in talks to star in Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off, Madame Web. Deadline.com reported the Marvel sci-fi adventure will be directed by S.J. Clarkson, who has worked on Anatomy of a Scandal, Succession, Collateral, Jessica Jones and The Defenders.
Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless penned the script for Madame Web. The character of Cassandra Webb — an elderly, physically frail mutant with strong psychic and telepathic abilities — first appeared in the 1980 comic book, The Amazing Spider-Man #210.
She got her name because her body was connected to a life support system that looked like a spider web. Although confined to a bed, she was able to fight foes with the powers of her mind and predict the futures of superheroes. Webb was killed in a 2010 story line and the younger Julia Carpenter took over her title of Madame Web. She acquired her own super powers when a government agency injected her with a top-secret formula derived from spider venom.
It is unclear which version of the character Johnson is in line to play. Sony is coming off of back-to-back blockbusters Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and reportedly has been looking for its first female-led, comic-book adaptation to add to the franchise.
Sony reportedly met with numerous actresses in recent months, but Johnson is regarded as the frontrunner. She has not publicly commented on her possible involvement in the franchise. Her other credits include Cha Cha Real Smooth and Persuasion.