Following the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony is looking to tell more stories and incorporate more of its Marvel characters into its universe. Merced, who is known for her roles in Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019), joins the list of cast members set to star in the upcoming film.

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While Deadline reports that Merced is now part of the list of cast members for Madame Web, her role is still unknown. She is currently filming for the film adaptation of John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down. Back in February, it was reported that Johnson would be starring in the film as Madame Web herself. Following this announcement, it was also reported that Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney would be co-starring alongside Johnson, as well as Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s Celeste O’Connor.

In the comics, Madame Web is depicted as an older woman, who, due to a medical condition called myasthenia gravis, is connected to a life support system that looks like a spider web. Due to her condition, she has never actively fought any villains. Because of this, many believe the film will follow a different storyline. Due to her psychic sensory powers, many fans wonder if she will be Sony’s version of Doctor Strange.

The Madame Web film would be the first female-driven Marvel movie produced by Sony. Sony execs have taken their time in selecting the stories they want to tell and incorporate into their Marvel universe. Following the releases of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Morbius, it seems as though Sony is entering a new phase for their Marvel properties.

Before Madame Web’s cinematic debut, Sony is getting ready to set up the next chapter of Spider-Man characters. In terms of upcoming Marvel projects, Sony is currently filming Kraven the Hunter, which is set to release on January 13, 2023. Aaron-Taylor Johnson is confirmed to play the poacher, alongside Ariana DeBose’s Calypso and Christopher Abbott’s adaptation of the assassin The Foreigner.

Madame Web is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 7, 2023,

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Source: Deadline