SPIDEY SENSES

Sydney Sweeney Has Gotten Caught in Marvel’s Web

by Carolyn Twersky
Sydney Sweeney in Madame Web
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

What is a young actor to do after they’ve had a year like Sydney Sweeney, starring in two hit HBO shows, becoming the industry’s new It girl, and getting engaged to her longtime boyfriend? Well, join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of course.

That’s right, they caught another one and now, Sweeney is set to star alongside Dakota Johnson in the upcoming Sony film, Madame Web. The movie will be set in the same world as other Spider-Man-related projects like Venom and the upcoming Jared Leto-led Morbius as Sony continues to cash into the Spiderverse following the immense success of last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which earned $1.5 billion worldwide. Another spin-off, Kraven The Hunter, is currently casting too, and counts Sweeney’s on-screen Lotus brother Fred Hechinger amongst its actors.

Johnson will take on the role of Madame Web, who is portrayed in the comics as blind, paralyzed, and suffering from a rare autoimmune disorder that keeps her strapped to a chair that resembles a web. As of now, it’s unclear where Sweeney will fit into the story, and if her role in the film will make way for more MCU opportunities in the future.

This casting, however, may suggest that Sweeney is no longer in the running to play Madonna in the singer’s upcoming biopic. Sources reported she auditioned for the role, along with her Euphoria costar Barbie Ferreira. News around the movie’s casting has been circling Hollywood for weeks now, with people saying prospects have been forced to go through a “grueling” boot camp made up of hours-long choreography training sessions. Florence Pugh was also reportedly on the shortlist to take on the role of Madge, but her recent casting in Dune: Part 2 will most likely take her out of the running, leaving space for other front runners like Julia Garner.

While it would be fun to see Sweeney take on the artistry of a young Madame X, getting into the MCU is a pretty good bet for any actor these days, and considering the busy year she’s had, we can’t blaming for opting out of the boot camp.