Madame Web
Teaser poster
Directed byS. J. Clarkson
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Kerem Sanga
  • Matt Sazama
  • Burk Sharpless
Based onMarvel Comics
Produced byLorenzo di Bonaventura
Starring
CinematographyMauro Fiore
Edited byLeigh Folsom Boyd
Music byJohan Söderqvist
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Madame Web is an upcoming American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film is directed by S. J. Clarkson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Claire Parker, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, from a story by Kerem Sanga, Sazama, and Sharpless. It stars Dakota Johnson in the title role, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim.

Sony began development on a Madame Web film for its shared universe by September 2019, with Sazama and Sharpless hired to write a script after Sanga had written an earlier draft. Clarkson joined the project in May 2020, making the film her feature film directorial debut, while Johnson was cast in early 2022. This was followed by additional castings in the following months and Parker joining later on. Filming began in mid-July 2022, occurring in Boston and throughout Massachusetts until that September, before shooting in New York City by mid-October, and wrapped before the end of the year.

Madame Web is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 14, 2024.

Premise

Cassandra Webb is forced to confront her past while trying to survive with three young women with powerful futures who are being hunted by a deadly adversary.[1][2]

Cast

Additionally, Mike Epps,[8] Emma Roberts,[9] Adam Scott,[10] and Zosia Mamet have been cast in undisclosed roles.[11]

Production

Development

After their work on the Marvel Comics-based film Morbius (2022), part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), Sony Pictures hired Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless in September 2019 to write a script centered around the Marvel character Madame Web.[12] Sony's executive vice president Palak Patel was overseeing the project.[13] Kerem Sanga had previously written a draft for the film.[14] In May 2020, S. J. Clarkson was hired to develop and direct Sony's first female-centric Marvel film, which was reported to be Madame Web.[15][16] The studio was looking to attach a prominent actress such as Charlize Theron or Amy Adams to the project, before hiring a new writer to further develop the film with her in mind.[15] After meeting with several "A-listers" for the title role, Sony narrowed their shortlist during December 2021 and January 2022. Dakota Johnson became the frontrunner by the end of 2021, and was in talks to star as Madame Web by early February. Clarkson was confirmed to be directing Madame Web at that time.[14] In March, Sydney Sweeney was cast in the film alongside Johnson.[17] Justin Kroll of Deadline Hollywood described the project as being "Sony's version of Doctor Strange" due to Madame Web's comic book abilities, though he noted that the film could be departing from the source material since the comics version of Madame Web is an elderly woman, named Cassandra Webb, connected to a life-support system that looks like a spider web. Kroll noted because of this that the film reportedly could "turn into something else".[14] Grant Hermanns of Screen Rant noted speculation on whether Johnson was playing Cassandra Webb or the younger Julia Carpenter, who was the second character in the comics to be known as Madame Web.[18] A month later, Sony gave Madame Web a release date of July 7, 2023, and confirmed Johnson and Sweeney would star in the film.[5]

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who produced the film for Sony through his production company Di Bonaventura Pictures,[1] described the film as a thriller and called the titular character's clairvoyance a "tricky skill set" that was not likely to be used for an action film. He said the studio chose to keep details on the film secretive given the character was not well known to general audiences.[19] Sweeney said the film was different from audiences' expectations of superhero films.[20]

Pre-production

In May 2022, Sony Pictures CEO and chairman Tom Rothman stated that filming would begin "in the spring",[21] and Celeste O'Connor was cast in the film, which was described as an origin story for the titular character.[3] Di Bonaventura said it would present a fresh take on the character and her origin.[22] In June, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, and Emma Roberts also joined the cast.[23][24][9] Sabina Graves of Gizmodo opined that the other actresses could be portraying "more recognizable" characters such as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman and Gwen Stacy in a "reimagining" of the Spider-Verse comic.[25] The film had been reported to be "something else under the guise" of the Madame Web character.[26] By then, filming was set to begin in mid-July 2022.[27] Sweeney said she was "about to" start filming,[28] and she completed an athletic assessment test and read comics featuring her character Julia Carpenter to prepare for the role,[20] while Johnson was training ahead of starting filming in July.[29] Mike Epps joined the cast that month.[8]

Filming

Principal photography began on July 11, 2022,[30][31] in the Financial District of Boston through July 14, with scenes modeling 2000s New York City,[31] including Chinatown, Manhattan.[32] Filming occurred using the working title Claire,[27] with Mauro Fiore serving as cinematographer, after previously doing so for Sony's Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).[33][34] Shortly after filming started, Adam Scott joined the cast,[10] and the film's release date was delayed to October 6, 2023.[35] In late July, filming occurred in Allston at Kelton Street.[32] Zosia Mamet was cast in August.[11] Filming that month occurred in Chelsea, Massachusetts,[32] while construction of a set in Andover, Massachusetts had also begun to stand-in for the 4-Star Diner, a comics location,[32][36] and took place at baseball fields in West Andover.[36] Filming occurred in Worcester, Massachusetts for precision driving and exterior street shots in mid-September to last for three days, on various street locations,[37][38] using the working titles Claire and Peru.[37] At that time, the release was further delayed to February 16, 2024.[39] Filming was also set to take place in other areas in the South Shore of Massachusetts, including a former hangar of the Naval Air Station South Weymouth.[27] Filming in Massachusetts, particularly for the Boston unit, lasted for three months until September 2022.[27][40] The production then moved to New York City by October 11,[41] occurring at Grand Central Station,[42] and Sweeney completed filming her scenes by October 18 after a three and a half-month shoot;[43] Sweeney worked on the film in Boston for five months.[20] Filming was completed before the end of the year,[44] and was confirmed to have wrapped in mid-January 2023.[45] Filming was also expected to occur in Mexico.[27]

Post-production

In March 2023, Sweeney's role was reported to be Julia Carpenter,[46] which was confirmed in May along with Johnson as Webb.[4] In July, the film's release was moved forward to February 14, 2024.[47] With the release of the first trailer in November 2023, the film's writing credits were revealed: Sazama and Sharpless received credit for the screenplay alongside the writing team of Claire Parker and Clarkson, while credit for the story was attributed to Sanga, Sazama, and Sharpless.[1][48] The official premise for the film released at that time described the film as a "standalone origin story" and a "suspense-driven thriller" that diverged from the typical superhero film genre, and started with the line "Meanwhile, in another universe...", which had been used for the trailer for Sony's animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) when it was attached to their SSU film Venom (2018).[2][49] McKinley Franklin at Variety also described the film as a suspense thriller.[50] Leigh Folsom Boyd edited the film after previously doing so on No Way Home.[34] Visual effects were provided by Digital Domain, beloFX, and One of Us.[51]

Music

Johan Söderqvist was revealed to be composing the film's score, after previously working with Clarkson on Anatomy of a Scandal (2022), in November 2023.[52]

Marketing

The first trailer for the film was released on November 15, 2023.[1] Charles Pulliam-Moore at The Verge felt the trailer did not give an indication as to what universe the film was set in or why the film's antagonist Ezekiel Sims wore a suit similar to that of the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, and found it weird to see another Marvel-based project from Sony centered on the Spider-Man lore from the comics without featuring the Spider-Man character.[53] Zoe Guy, writing for Vulture, said the trailer provided a lot of details and highlighted its use of "Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish.[54] Joshua Rivera of Polygon criticized the trailer for focusing its three-minute runtime on explaining Cassandra Webb's powers and appearing as a "run-of-the-mill 2000s thriller" instead of showcasing the "wildly interesting and truly strange" Spider-Man-related characters.[55] Conversely, Graham Day at The Escapist was excited for the film by the trailer and highlighted Sony's unconventional and eccentric style, which he noted had resulted in commentators making various memes surrounding the film. Day compared such moments to similar scenes and responses to Sony's Venom (2018) and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, feeling the stunt work in the trailer was fascinating and similar to that of The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), which he felt was under-appreciated.[56] One particular quote from the trailer received a mix of scrutiny and humor from viewers due to the rather elongated and awkwardly delivered line from Dakota Johnson stating, "He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died." The line briefly became memed with audiences incorporating the quote into other famous movie lines.[57]

Release

Madame Web is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on February 14, 2024,[47] in IMAX.[39] It was previously scheduled for July 7, 2023,[5] October 6, 2023,[35] and then on February 16, 2024.[39] This will be the first film to use the new Columbia Pictures logo commemorating the studio's 100th anniversary, with a computer-generated animated version of the "Lady with the Torch" iconography.[58]

In December 2022, Sony signed a long-term deal with the Canadian-based streaming service Crave for their films starting in April 2023, following the films' theatrical and home media windows. Crave signed for the "pay-one" window streaming rights, which included Madame Web.[59]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 15, 2023). "Madame Web: First Superhero Movie Of 2024 With Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney Drops Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Behbakht, Andy (November 15, 2023). "Madame Web Movie Trailer Reveals 5 Spider-Man Characters Joining Sony's Marvel Franchise". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (May 24, 2022). "Madame Web: Celeste O'Connor Joins Sydney Sweeney, Dakota Johnson in Sony's Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Mottram, James (May 22, 2023). "Madame Web star Sydney Sweeney teases Sony movie's 'powerhouse of badass females'". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 20, 2022). "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Heads To Summer 2023; Sony Dates Madame Web, Equalizer 3 Among Other Release Changes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Anderson, Jenna (November 15, 2023). "Madame Web Trailer Reveals First Look at Surprising Spider-Women Costumes". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ Travis, Emlyn (November 15, 2023). "Watch Dakota Johnson get chased by a murderous Spider-Man in new Madame Web trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (July 8, 2022). "Sony's Madame Web Adds Mike Epps". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (June 27, 2022). "Madame Web: Emma Roberts Joins Sony Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (July 15, 2022). "Madame Web: Adam Scott Joins Sony's Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (August 3, 2022). "Madame Web Adds 'The Flight Attendant's Zosia Mamet". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  12. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (September 26, 2019). "Exclusive: Sony Taps Morbius Writers for Madame Web Movie Set in Spider-Man Universe". Collider. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 26, 2019). "Sony Developing Spider-Man Spinoff Madame Web". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 Kroll, Justin (February 3, 2022). "Madame Web: Dakota Johnson Tapped To Play First Female Super Hero in Sony Pictures Universe Of Marvel Characters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (May 20, 2020). "Secret Marvel Movie From Sony in the Works With Director S.J. Clarkson (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 21, 2020). "Marc Guggenheim Scripting Spider-Man Universe Heroine Jackpot Movie For Sony Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  17. ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 16, 2022). "Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney To Co-Star Opposite Dakota Johnson in Sony's Marvel Pic Madame Web". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ Hermanns, Grant (May 26, 2022). "Spider-Man Spinoff Movie Madame Web Story Details Revealed". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  19. ↑ DeVore, Britta (June 8, 2023). "This Is How Madame Web Will Bring Her Unique Powers to the Big Screen [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 D'Addario, Daniel; Shafer, Ellise (August 9, 2023). "Sydney Sweeney Takes Control: The Euphoria Star on 'Feeling Beat Up' by Online Rumors and Proving People Wrong in Her Producer Era". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  21. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 15, 2022). "Sony Chairman Tom Rothman Paddles Upstream To Keep Focus On Traditional Cinema – Deadline Disruptors". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ Davis, Brandon (June 5, 2023). "Madame Web Producer Promises Fresh Origin Story For Spider-Man Fans (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  23. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 1, 2022). "Madame Web: Isabela Merced Latest To Join Dakota Johnson in Sony's Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  24. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 3, 2022). "Madame Web: Tahar Rahim Latest To Join Sony Marvel Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  25. ↑ Graves, Sabina (June 27, 2022). "Sony's Baffling Madame Web Movie Weaves in Emma Roberts". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  26. ↑ Erao, Math (June 28, 2022). "Sony's Madame Web Movie Rumored to Secretly Be a Different Spider-Man Film". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 Barbuto, Dana (June 23, 2022). "Here comes Hollywood: Madame Web spinning into Boston, South Shore for three-month shoot". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ Atad, Corey (June 23, 2022). "Sydney Sweeney Reveals Madame Web With Dakota Johnson Is Shooting Soon: 'I'm Really Excited To Start This Journey'". ET Canada. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  29. ↑ Hennemuth, Britt (June 28, 2022). "Dakota Johnson on Family, Sexual Agency—And the 'Psychotic' Making of Fifty Shades of Grey". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  30. ↑ "In Production – Massachusetts Film Office". Massachusetts Film Office. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  31. 1 2 Slane, Kevin (July 13, 2022). "Madame Web movie filming transforms Boston into retro NYC". Boston.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Slane, Kevin (August 18, 2022). "Everything we know so far about 'Madame Web, the superhero movie filming in Boston". Boston.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Mauro Fiore". Independent Media. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  34. 1 2 Bagchi, Soham (August 11, 2023). "Madame Web: Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know So Far". Collider. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  35. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 19, 2022). "Sony Moves Madame Web To Fall 2023, Dates Marvel Universe Title For Summer 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  36. 1 2 Copeland, Dave (August 8, 2022). "Marvel Movie Filming In Andover". Andover News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  37. 1 2 Semon, Craig S. (September 15, 2022). "Latest Spider-Man spinoff, Madame Web shooting in Worcester this week". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  38. ↑ Lavery, Tréa (September 13, 2022). "Marvel's Madame Web Spider-Man spinoff to film in downtown Worcester this week". MassLive. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  39. 1 2 3 Sharf, Zack (September 16, 2022). "Sony Announces New Karate Kid Movie, Pushes Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  40. ↑ Slane, Kevin (July 6, 2022). "Sony-Marvel movie Madame Web begins filming in Boston this month, and it needs extras". Boston.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  41. ↑ Anderson, Jenna (October 11, 2022). "Madame Web Set Photos Reveal First Look at Sydney Sweeney's Character". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  42. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (October 12, 2022). "A Buncha Spoiler-y Pics from the Madame Web Set Just Dropped!". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Sydney Sweeney Gives Madame Web Filming Update (Exclusive)". Extra. October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  44. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 11, 2023). "Sydney Sweeney And Glen Powell To Star In Sony Rom-Com From Will Gluck". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  45. ↑ Zogbi, Emily (January 14, 2023). "Madame Web Logo Revealed as Spider-Man Spinoff Wraps Filming". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  46. ↑ Dominguez, Noah (March 2, 2023). "Report: Sydney Sweeney Is Playing Marvel's Second Spider-Woman in Madame Web". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  47. 1 2 Donnelly, Matt (July 28, 2023). "Beyond the Spider-Verse Taken Off Sony Release Calendar as Strikes Delay Kraven and Ghostbusters Sequel to 2024". Variety. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Madame Web | Sony Pictures Entertainment". Sony Pictures Digital. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  49. ↑ Lussier, Germain (December 6, 2018). "For Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Every Cool Surprise You Can Imagine Was Considered". io9. Gizmodo. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018. 'Meanwhile in another universe.' Those four words at the end of Venom may have changed everything when it comes to Spider-Man movies. By shifting out of Venom's universe and showing a scene from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the filmmakers and studio made it abundantly clear that Venom and Into the Spider-Verse are both happening in the same multiverse.
  50. ↑ Franklin, McKinley (November 15, 2023). "Madame Web Trailer: Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney Get Spidey Powers in Marvel Film". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  51. ↑ Frei, Vincent (November 16, 2023). "Madame Web". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  52. ↑ "Johan Söderqvist Scoring SJ Clarkson's Madame Web". Film Music Reporter. November 17, 2023. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  53. ↑ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (November 15, 2023). "Madame Web's first trailer will leave you wondering what the hell is going on". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  54. ↑ Guy, Zoe (November 15, 2023). "Get Caught in the Madame Web". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  55. ↑ Rivera, Joshua (November 15, 2023). "The wackiest Spider-Man story is now the Madame Web movie". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  56. ↑ Day, Graham (November 22, 2023). "Sorry, the Madame Web Trailer Actually Has Me Excited". The Escapist. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  57. ↑ Edwards, Molly (November 17, 2023). "Madame Web is already getting memed for one incredible line in the trailer". Games Radar. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  58. ↑ Bonomolo, Cameron (November 23, 2023). "Columbia Pictures 100th Anniversary Logo Revealed by Sony". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  59. ↑ Goldbart, Max (December 8, 2022). "Sony Pictures Entertainment Inks Deal With Canada's Crave For Blockbuster Movies Including Spider-Man, Madame Web, Jumanji". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
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