Dakota Johnson is set to star as the first female superhero Madame Web in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel characters.
The 32-year-old actress will suit up for the studio’s next major flick, which would also mark Sony’s first modern comic book adaptation to feature a female in the title role. Reports also confirmed S.J. Clarkson from Netflix’s darker Marvel series Jessica Jones is on board to direct, while Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless from Morpbius penned the screenplay.
In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is a mutant who possesses psychic sensory powers including telepathy, clairvoyance, and prescience.
The character is elderly, paralyzed, blind, and is connected to a life support system that looks like a spider web. Due to that state, she has never fought any villains but is rather a supporting character, helping Spider-Man for example.
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Either way, getting a female-driven property in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters has always been a top priority for studio brass given the long list of strong female characters that appear in these comics throughout the years. Sony execs have taken their time in figuring out who would land the title role, meeting with a number of A-listers. As for Johnson, she has had quite the year starting with her acclaimed role in Netflix’s The Lost Daughter. Her Sundance film Cha Cha Real Smooth sold to Apple for $15 million after premiering at the festival. She can be seen next in Persuasion.
Clarkson is currently directing and executive producing the adaptation of the bestselling novel Anatomy of a Scandal. She directed an episode of Jesse Armstrong’s Emmy-winning series Succession and directed and executive produced the miniseries Collateral, starring Carey Mulligan. She was also a lead director and executive producer on Marvel’s The Defenders and Jessica Jones.