Michael Keaton is in early talks to play a villain in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which will be a co-production between Marvel and Sony, an individual familiar with the comic book movie has told TheWrap.
Discussions remain at an early stage, but are believed to be further along than Kurt Russell‘s talks for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” when TheWrap first broke that story — which panned out.
Jon Watts is directing the new “Spider-Man,” which will star Tom Holland as the webslinger and Marisa Tomei as his Aunt May. Zendaya will co-star as a mysterious character named Michelle.
While it’s unclear which villain Keaton is making a deal to play, a recent report from Birth.Movies.Death indicates that Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, will be one of the antagonists. Keaton would be a strong fit for Vulture and has experience flying around in a superhero suit, having starred in both “Batman” and “Birdman.”
Other possibilities include Norman Osborne and J. Jonah Jameson (wouldn’t that be a neat twist?), though the new film may seek to distinguish itself from past iterations that starred Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
The new “Spider-Man” movie was written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and will focus on Peter Parker’s high school days. The writers are believed to have infused the superhero film with the spirit of John Hughes‘ classic high school movies.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are producing “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which will swing into theaters on July 7, 2017. The character will first be introduced to audiences via a rousing appearance in “Captain America: Civil War.”
Keaton, who next stars in “The Founder,” is represented by ICM Partners. His potential casting was first reported by Variety.