Dakota Johnson Will Star in Sony’s Spider-Man Spin-Off Madame Web

Sony is further expanding its Marvel wheelhouse with Spidey spin-off Madame Web. Dakota Johnson is set to star in the lead role of Madame Web, a psychic mutant who can envision the futures of the ever-increasing roster of spider-themed superheroes. The character was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #210, and has not only mentored Peter Parker, but also multiple iterations of Spider-Woman.

Madame Web is one of many Marvel movies currently in development at Sony, with Jared Leto’s Morbius due out this April, and Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter in the works. Sony has already released Venom, its sequel Venom Let There Be Carnage and, most notably, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $1.74 billion globally, the highest in Sony’s history.

This will be the first big blockbuster film for Dakota Johnson since the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, her breakout role. Since then, she has focused her career more on art house projects, such as her work with Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash, Suspiria) and more recently, starring as struggling young mother Nina in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s awards contender The Lost Daughter. In January, she was at the Sundance Film Festival with two films—Am I Ok? and Cha Cha Real Smooth—which she also produced.

S.J. Clarkson is set to direct Madame Web. Clarkson has previous directing credits on television series such as Succession, Orange is the New Black and the Netflix/Marvel series Jessica Jones. Morbius writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are behind the script.