Sony's upcoming Spider-Man spinoff film Madame Web has found a new cast member in Scream 4 and American Horror Story star Emma Roberts.
According to Deadline, Roberts has joined the growing cast of Madame Web in an undisclosed role. Roberts joins the film's lead actor, Dakota Johnson, as well as fellow co-stars Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced and Tahar Rahim. Sony did not issue a comment regarding Roberts' reported casting at the time of writing.
Roberts got her start as a child actor in the 2001 film Blow. She rose to prominence thanks to her lead role as Addie Singer on the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Unfabulous, which ran from 2004 to 2007. Around this time and immediately afterwards, she starred in a number of other films, including playing the eponymous protagonist of the 2007 Nancy Drew movie.
In 2011, Roberts portrayed main antagonist Jill Roberts in director Wes Craven's satirical slasher sequel Scream 4. This led to her being cast as main character Chanel Oberlin on Fox's similarly-toned horror comedy series Scream Queens, which premiered in 2015. Roberts has also been a fixture of the FX anthology series American Horror Story since 2013.
Set to hit theaters on July 7, 2023, Madame Web is directed by S.J. Clarkson from a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, with a previous draft having been penned by Kerem Sanga. The film is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, who is a clairvoyant and a prominent supporting player in the Spider-Man mythos. The aforementioned Johnson is set to play Madame Web herself.
Created by late, great writer Dennis O'Neil alongside artist John Romita Jr., the original Madame Web -- real name Cassandra Webb -- first appeared in 1980's Amazing Spider-Man#210. The mantle of Madame Web was later taken up by Julia Carpenter, who is perhaps best known for being the second Spider-Woman. Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, Julia first appeared as Spider-Woman as part of the Secret Wars limited series in 1984. Julia became Madame Web in 2010's Amazing Spider-Man #637 following the death of Cassandra Webb.
Madame Web is expected to be the fifth entry in Sony's line of live-action Spider-Man spinoff films, following 2018's Venom, 2021's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, 2022's Morbius and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as lead character Sergei Kravinoff, Kraven the Hunter is currently slated to release in theaters on Jan. 13, 2023 -- six months before Madame Web.
Madame Web releases in theaters on July 7, 2023.
Source: Deadline