'Spider-Man: Homecoming' release date, cast news: Will Zendaya play Mary Jane?
At last month's San Diego Comic-Convention, Marvel announced that Zendaya will be playing a character named Michelle in the newly rebooted "Spider-Man" film. However, this conflicts with recent news that she'll be portraying Mary Jane in the upcoming film.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" will feature the star of "Billy Elliot the Musical," Tom Holland, as the titular character. The actor made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Captain America: Civil War" earlier this year.
Though it has been confirmed that Holland will be playing a teenage Peter Parker in the upcoming film, no further details have been released about his love interest. Many are growing curious about it. Will Marvel pair the superhero with Gwen Stacey or with Mary Jane? Since news of Zendaya playing MJ broke out, many believe that MJ will once again be paired with Spidey.
But why did Marvel announce that Zendaya will be portraying a character named Michelle? Was that meant to mislead viewers? Could Michelle really be Mary Jane? Although Marvel has yet to respond to the recent speculations about Zendaya's role, fans of the actress and franchise seem happy about the recent rumor.
However, some comic book purists expressed their dismay over casting a person of color for a character originally written as a white person. When "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn saw these reactions, he turned to Facebook to express his sentiments.
On his lengthy post, Gunn pointed out how people are normally disappointed when production companies cast actors or actresses who don't look entirely like the comic book characters.
Gunn said that "if a character's primary attribute – the thing that makes them iconic – is the color of their skin, or their hair color, frankly that character is shallow and sucks."
He added that it is the actresses' ability to portray and represent the character's traits that makes the character authentic, not her looks.
The director said the post was not to confirm that Zendaya is MJ. Gunn claimed to have no knowledge of Zendaya's role in the upcoming film.
Again, Marvel has yet to comment on the recent speculations. Considering Marvel's history of keeping important roles a secret, fans might not be able to confirm this until "Spider-Man: Homecoming" launches on July 7, 2017.
