With superhero movies dominating the Box Office, almost every actor under the sun seems keen to land themselves a franchise. And it looks like Jake Gyllenhaal has found his first comic-book movie role. The actor is in talks to play the classic Marvel villain Mysterio in the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced Mysterio in the comics in 1964. He will be joined by Michael Keaton, who will return to reprise his role of Vulture.
The character has long been an adversary of Spider-Man. Mysterio is a special effects designer and stuntman who turns to eventually turns into a super-villain in pursuit of the fame he feels he deserves, after being rejected by the movie industry. A special effects expert, Quentin Beck used his talents to create elaborate illusions to commit crimes and to fight Spider-Man.
Gyllenhaal already has an interesting history with Spider-Man. Original Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire injured his back while shooting Seabiscuit in between Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Gyllenhaal was briefly considered to take over the role if Maguire could not resume his duties. Maguire was able to return to work, and the filmmakers put a joke about Spider-Man hurting his back into the sequel.
Director Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Marisa Tomei are all on board for the as-yet-untitled superhero sequel. Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is set for July 5, 2019.
Source: Deadspin
