There’s a new bad guy in town. Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to join the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel’s cast as the classic villain Mysterio.
According to Variety, Gyllenhaal, 37, is considering the role of the Marvel supervillain character — who was introduced in the comics in 1964 by its creators, Stan Lee and Steve Ditch — in the upcoming movie. The Oscar nominee would star alongside Tom Holland, who will reprise his role as Peter Parker.
Variety also confirmed that Michael Keaton will return as villain Vulture in the sequel for the superhero film. The publication also reports that Zendaya is returning for the follow-up to the 2017 blockbuster, starring as Michelle Jones, and that Marisa Tomei has also signed on to play May Parker again.
Gyllenhaal’s role as Mysterio would be the actor’s first appearance in a comic-book inspired movie. He was previously considered for the role of Spider-Man after Tobey Maguire hurt his back in between 2002’s Spider-Man and 2004’s Spider-Man 2 while filming Seabiscuit. Maguire, 42, recovered in time to reprise the lead role in the action movie. The Brokeback Mountain star’s recent projects include Stronger, Okja and the upcoming The Sisters Brothers and Velvet Buzzsaw.
The upcoming Homecoming sequel’s plot has yet to be revealed, but director Jon Watts will be returning for part two, and John Francis and Jonathan Goldstein are writing the script.
Spider-Man: Homecoming brought in more than $880 million at the worldwide box office after its release in November 2017, and it also starred Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Donald Glover and Gwyneth Paltrow. Holland, 21, reprised his role as Spider-Man this year in the record-breaking Avengers: Infinity War. The actor first made his debut as the young superhero in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
The Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is slated to hit theaters on July 5, 2019.
