Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney to join Dakota Johnson in Madame Web

Following the announcement that Dakota Johnson would be playing the titular character in Madame Web, Deadline has reported that Sydney Sweeney is joining the Marvel project. The actress recently concluded a second season of her breakout role on Euphoria and was part of The White Lotus’ stacked ensemble last year.

There are no further details on what role Sweeney will be playing, though she is a fan-favorite pick for Felicia Hardy. Also known as Black Cat, the Spider-Man antagonist has the ability to inflict bad luck on her opponents.

Little is known about Madame Web so far. In the comics, the character was introduced as Cassandra Webb, an elderly blind woman with psychic powers. However, the more youthful Julia Carpenter has also taken the mantle, and Johnson’s casting implies that this is the version being adapted. (Though you never know, they might be taking a leaf out of DC’s book and just giving her a whole new face.) S.J. Clarkson is attached to direct, with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless writing the screenplay.

Madame Web will not be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man and adjacent characters; an ongoing collaboration with Marvel Studios has allowed Peter Parker to appear in the MCU, including team-up stories Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

Beyond the animated Into The Spider-Verse, the studio has been building out its own connected series of live-action Marvel adaptations. Both Venom movies have proven to be box office smashes, and Sony hopes to do it again next month with Morbius, featuring Jared Leto as the Living Vampire. A Kraven The Hunter film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Abbott is also in the works. While Sony has been giving a number of Spider-Man villains the spotlight, Spider-Verse ally and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Cindy Moon, aka Silk, is set to get her own series on Prime Video.