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Madame Web is a 2024 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film was directed by S. J. Clarkson from a screenplay she co-wrote with Claire Parker and the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. It stars Dakota Johnson in the title role, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott. In the film, Cassie Webb (Johnson) confronts her past while trying to save three young women and their futures from Ezekiel Sims (Rahim).
Sony began development on a Madame Web film for its shared universe by September 2019, with Sazama and Sharpless hired to write the script. Clarkson joined as director in May 2020, making the film her feature film directorial debut, while Johnson was cast in early 2022. This was followed by additional castings in the following months, particularly for the three Spider-Women characters. Madame Web is a suspense thriller that depicts the titular character's origin story in a standalone universe with an approach that was more grounded and gritty compared to many previously released superhero films. Filming began in mid-July 2022 and wrapped before the end of the year, occurring throughout Massachusetts, including Boston, and in New York City. Clarkson and Parker's involvement as writers was revealed in November 2023.
Madame Web premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles on February 12, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 14.
Premise
Cassandra "Cassie" Webb is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary.[3][4]
Cast
- Dakota Johnson as Cassandra "Cassie" Webb / Madame Web:
An awkward paramedic in Manhattan who, after an accident, develops psychic abilities as a clairvoyant which allow her to see future events within the "spider world", and is a reluctant hero.[3][5][6][7] In the film, Cassie is depicted as an inexperienced clairvoyant in her 30s learning her new powers, compared to the comic book version which is a blind and paralyzed elderly woman connected to a life support system and a "fully fledged" clairvoyant. Johnson and director S. J. Clarkson sought to differentiate the film's portrayal from this version while embracing the character traits from the comics.[5][8] Johnson felt Cassie's wit, humor, and abrasiveness were balanced with her compassion, particularly through her forming a "sort of family" with the three young women after not getting along through the film's events.[8] which stemmed from Cassie being on an "unending, insatiable quest" to save people after she was unable to save her mother.[7] She was interested in playing a female character whose superpowers stem from her mind, and by the prospect of seeing into the future while understanding the character's past and present, while Clarkson was inspired by the psychological and cerebral aspects of the character, with Cassie questioning her sanity which she battles within herself and attempts to understand.[5] Clarkson called Cassie a loner and described her as somewhat abrasive, quirky, and "on the outer edges of things", which she compared to the title character of the Marvel Television series Jessica Jones (2015–2019).[9] - Sydney Sweeney as Julia Cornwall / Spider-Woman[5][10]
- Celeste O'Connor as Mattie Franklin / Spider-Woman[5][11]
- Isabela Merced as Anya Corazon / Araña[5][11]
- Tahar Rahim as Ezekiel Sims:
An explorer who, while accompanying Cassie's mother during her research on spiders before her death, is searching for a secret tribe in the Amazon rainforest in Peru.[12][13] He gained their enhanced strength and health abilities through a powerful spider, as well as clairvoyance which allows him to see the future and his death, making him obsessively search for his killers.[12] This leads him to hunt three young women who have the potential to become Spider-Women in the future.[12][13] Clarkson said the character was not afraid to be intense and had a "level of ambiguity" with multiple layers.[8] He also wears a black Spider-Man-styled suit.[13] - Mike Epps as O'Neil[14]
- Emma Roberts as Mary Parker[15][14]
- Adam Scott as Ben Parker[15][14]
Additionally, Zosia Mamet appears as Amaria, Sims's technology assistant in the future,[16] alongside Kerry Bishé as Constance and Josh Drennen as Julia's father.[17]