Isabela Merced, 20, has joined the cast of Sony’s Madame Web according to Deadline. The ensemble so far includes Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, and Celeste O’Connor. It will be directed by S.J. Clarkson with the screenplay from Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The newcomer role is still undisclosed.
Madame Web is a character from Marvel’s Spider-Man comic books, an elderly woman with myasthenia gravis who relies on a life-support system resembling a spider web. Bestowed with telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and a high intellect the character is an ally and mentor figure to Spider-Man and his colleagues while not engaging in fistfights with super villains due to her age and condition.
In the movie, some of these traits might be changed as she will be played by Johnson and she will be part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe which already has Venom (Tom Hardy) and Morbius (Jared Leto). And insiders point out that Web will have a role similar to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the MCU.
Next up for Merced will be Warner Bros.’ remake of Father of the Bride with Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan and 20th Century’s Rosaline where she will play Juliet opposing Kaitlyn Dever in a revisionist take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Now she is filming the main character of Turtles All the Way Down, an adaptation of John Green’s best-seller.
Merced is a rising movie star and pop singer. Her latest credits include Netflix’s thriller Sweet Girl alongside Jason Momoa and she also voiced Lucky Prescott in the animation Spirit Untamed from DreamWorks both from 2021.