Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s new solo movie just received a shiny new title —Â Spider-Man: Homecoming — and now new reports indicate it may have landed itself a villain in Oscar-nominated actor Michael Keaton.
According to Variety, Keaton is being courted to play a villain in the forthcoming Jon Watts-directed Spider-Man: Homecoming, which stars Tom Holland as a teenaged Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man. Talks are said to be in the very early stages — as in, it’s unclear if an offer has even been made — but the interest is definitely there. Nerdist has reached out to Sony for comment.
If this casting comes to pass, it’ll be like the latest fan-favorite actor to swap one major comic book cinematic universe for another: former J. Jonah Jameson actor J.K. Simmons is going to play Commissioner Gordon in the DC Extended Universe, and Keaton, who famously played the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s Batman, would make his Marvel debut with the new Spidey flick.
Little is known about the details of the plot for Spider-Man: Homecoming, although some rumors point to the Vulture being one of the villains. After Birdman, though, would Keaton be eager to play another feathered fighter? He certainly has the chops for it, and would elevate what has often been kind of a lame villain to new heights.
In addition to Holland’s Peter Parker, Marisa Tomei will play Aunt May and Zendaya is playing a mystery character named Michelle. Of course, we have our own theories as to who exactly Michelle could be on Nerdist News:
(Yes, I know I pronounced her name wrong, nerds.)
Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters on July 7, 2017, and production will likely commence this summer. Holland will next appear as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, which debuts on May 6, 2016.
What do you think of this casting? Who would you like to see Keaton play? Let us know in the comments below.
Images: Open Road Films; Marvel
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter and ask him about all things anime (@Osteoferocious).
