Well this is interesting. Last month, word surfaced that Oscar-nominee Michael Keaton was being eyed to join the cast of Marvel Studios and Sony’s highly anticipated reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming, potentially as the villain. Then, a few weeks later, talks between Keaton and the studios stalled out and it looked as though the pairing wasn’t meant to be. Marvel and Sony then met with a former True Detective star (Woody Harrelson?), but now THR reports that not only have talks with Keaton begun again, but Keaton is in final negotiations to join the redo.
Tom Holland leads the picture as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is joined by Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, but we also now know that Robert Downey Jr. will be a part of the cast as Tony Stark continues to forge his relationship with Parker that began in Captain America: Civil War.
But how does Keaton fit into all of this? Early word was that the main villain of the film would be Vulture, an electronics engineer who crafts a flight harness that gives him superhuman strength. The folks over at JoBlo are now reporting that yes, Vulture will be the main villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but he won’t be the only baddie. According to their sources, he’ll be aided in his villainous efforts by The Tinkerer, who helps Vulture build his suit. And what materials does one use to craft a Vulture-inspired flying suit of armor? Per JoBlo, in a savvy piece of MCU connective tissue, Vulture’s suit will be constructed from recovered Chitauri technology from the Battle of New York in The Avengers.
If this report pans out, that’s an incredibly smart way to incorporate this new Spider-Man movie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially since the events of the film take place in New York City post-Avengers. Moreover, JoBlo adds that Stark will offer even more modifications to Spider-Man’s suit, supplying the classic Web Wings from the comics that open up and allow Spidey to glide—a necessity in an aerial battle with The Vulture.
So it looks as though all the pieces are falling into place, and after the unanimously positive reception Holland got for his brief turn as Spidey in Civil War, this is shaping up to be one hell of an exciting Spider-Man movie. Jon Watts (Cop Car) is directing from a script by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses), and production is aiming to begin in June. Zendaya and Tony Revolori are also set as part of the ensemble, but expect more casting news soon.
Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters on July 7, 2017.
