Isabela Merced Joins Marvel/Sony’s ‘Madame Web’

Isabela Merced is the latest talent to join the growing cast of Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off, Madame Web, Deadline has learned.

Merced joins a stacked female cast that includes Dakota Johnson (50 Shades franchise), Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Celeste O’Connor (Freaky). S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones) will direct the film, while Morbius scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and Kerem Sanga (Dinner in America) contributed to the screenplay.

For those unfamiliar with Madame Web, is depicted as an elderly woman with myasthenia gravis and thus was connected to a life-support system that looked like a spider web. Due to her age and medical condition, Madame Web never actively fought any villains. For that reason, sources have stressed it’s possible the project could turn into something else. Insiders close to Deadline claim that Sony wants this character to be their own version of Doctor Strange, due to the character’s sensory powers.

Johnson will tackle the titular Madame Web, while it is unknown who Merced, Sweeny, and O’Connor will be playing as the studio continues to keep this project under wraps.

Sony is coming off a hot streak with Venom: Let There Be Carnage making more than $500 million worldwide, while Spider-Man: No Way Home was the biggest film of 2021 with $1.85 billion in worldwide sales. While Morbius, not so much of a financial hit, the film has its own cult following. The studio also has Kraven The Hunter, Venom 3, El Muerto, and Spider-Woman in the works, building their own cinematic universe.

Isabela Merced has had a nice start to her young career starring in Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Lizzy in Instant Family (2018), Isabel in Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), the titular character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019). She will next appear in the upcoming feature film Rosaline, 20th Century’s Revisionist ‘Romeo & Juliet’ tale opposite Kaitlyn Dever.