Things are heating up for Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man reboot as the film’s summer production start-date looms closer. Just this week we learned the superhero redo’s official titleSpider-Man: Homecoming—and got word of Michael Keaton entering talks to play the film’s villain, which may or may not be Vulture. Now director Jon Watts is bolstering his cast, and diversity very much seems to be the name of the game.

Per The Wrap, The Grand Budapest Hotel star Tony Revolori and One Life to Live actress Laura Harrier have joined the Spider-Man: Homecoming ensemble, with Harrier landing an unspecified “significant” role and Revolori set to play Peter Parker’s friend Manuel. In addition to One Life to Live, Harrier also appeared opposite Anna Kendrick in the musical The Last Five Years and shot a role in Steve McQueen’s HBO pilot Codes of Conduct, which the network ultimately passed on. Revolori, meanwhile, had a standout role in the comedy Dope last year following his breakout turn in Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. The two join the previously cast Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and Disney channel actress Zendaya as a mysterious character named Michelle.


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Image via Open Road Films

Marvel and Sony are apparently aiming to cast non-white performers in a number of significant roles for Homecoming, which comes as welcome news given that when the search was on for the new Spider-Man, many were hoping the studios would shake things up and go with a non-white actor for the superhero role. English actor Tom Holland was eventually named our new Peter Parker, and while reactions to his portrayal of the character in Captain America: Civil War appear to be highly positive, I’ll admit I was pushing for Life of Pi star Suraj Sharma to land the role.

Regardless, expect to hear much more casting in the coming weeks, especially of the non-white persuasion. It’s nice to see that Sony and Marvel are looking to fill this superhero ensemble with characters that reflect the actual world we live in today, and given the colorful logo and high school setting, it’s sounding like we’re in for a Spider-Man film unlike any we’ve seen before. Which is good news, because at this point we’ve seen a lot of Spider-Man movies.

Penned by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Spider-Man: Homecoming is slated for release on July 7, 2017.

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Image via Marvel
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Image via Marvel
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Image via Warner Bros.