Sony will be expanding its Marvel Universe with Madame Web, a feature film based on the Marvel Comics character. Running concurrently with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony's franchise includes the two previously-released Venom movies along with Morbius and the upcoming movie Kraven the Hunter. Madame Web will be the first film in this universe to feature a female lead and Dakota Johnson will be starring as the titular crime-fighter.
There's still a lot about the Madame Web film that is shrouded in mystery. No plot details have been divulged, and it remains unclear which incarnation of Madame Web from the comics that will be the model for Johnson's version. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Johnson remains tightlipped about what fans can expect from the film, though she did touch on how excited she is to step into the franchise.
As Johnson explains, she's intrigued by exploring a character that isn't very well known outside of big Marvel fans because of the creative freedom that comes with that. Johnson is also stoked to be a part of a blockbuster action film, feeling especially passionate about that after catching the acclaimed hit movie Top Gun: Maverick. Soon enough, it will be Johnson's time to shine as the star of her own action-packed feature.
"I can tell you pretty much nothing that isn't already on the internet. I'm so excited. It's pretty cool to be in the Marvel world, especially with a character that's not so known. There's a lot of space to make her very cool. I'm very excited. It's always been a dream of mine to do some kind of massive action movie. I always wanted to be like a female Indiana Jones. I really have always... I saw the new Top Gun, and it's so good! It's so good. There's something about those movies, that's just like, 'Wow, a real human being can do that?'"
Will Dakota Johnson Be the Julia Carpenter Incarnation of Madame Web?
In Marvel lore, Madame Web is usually portrayed as a clairvoyant mutant. She has often been envisioned as an elderly woman afflicted with myasthenia gravis, requiring a support system that resembles a spiderweb and giving her the Madame Web moniker. Another version of Madame Web, who seems to be more likely to have inspired Johnson's version, is that of Julia Carpenter, a character who becomes Madame Web after gaining the previous Madame's powers of precognition.
S.J. Clarkson is directing the Madame Web moving using a screenplay penned by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless; a previous draft was written by Kerem Sanga. Along with Johnson, Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is also a part of the main cast. Her role remains a mystery and additional cast members have yet to be revealed.
Madame Web will be released in movie theaters on July 7, 2023. For now, fans can catch Johnson in her new film Cha Cha Real Smooth on Apple TV+, while her next movie Persuasion hits Netflix in July.