Dakota Johnson To Star In Sony's Madame Web Film - Report

Actor Dakota Johnson (The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Social Network) is reportedly in talks and negotiations to potentially star as Madame Web in Sony's plans to expand on its universe of Marvel characters. Deadline was the first to report this development.

This news should come as no shock, as Sony has been vocal since 2019 about making a Madame Web movie. What is new, however, is that reports are indicating the Madame Web project may wind up not being a film, as unnamed sources have only told Deadline that "the project could turn into something else." Sony is reportedly hoping to position Madame Web as "essentially Sony's version of Doctor Strange." Since 2019, S.J. Clarkson (Succession, Dexter) has been attached to direct.

The project shifting from a movie to another format also isn't a total surprise, given the character's historical status as a side character in the Marvel Universe. In Marvel Comics, Madame Web is an elderly, telepathic, precognitive mutant confined to a hospital bed surrounded by life support machines that resemble a spider web. Her mutant abilities make her a strong ally for Peter Parker, though she never actually fights villains herself for obvious reasons.

The studio is riding high following the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has grossed $1.74 billion globally, the highest in Sony history. The Madame Web project is one of many projects in development for Sony, which has already released Venom in 2018 and Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2020. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) is expected to hit theaters on October 7.

The next movie coming out from Sony is Morbius on April 1, a release date that looks to be holding firm after multiple delays.