Zendaya was cast as a character named “Michelle” back in March for next summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Until now, fans could only speculate who “Michelle” was. In a report by TheWrap.com’s Umberto Gonzaleza report by TheWrap.com’s Umberto Gonzalez Thursday, it was revealed that Zendaya will play Peter Parker’s famous love interest, Mary Jane Watson.
The 19-year-old Disney star will play opposite British actor Tom Holland, who will reprise his role as the Wall-Crawler after making his Spidey debut in Captain America: Civil War.
Before landing her first major movie role, Zendaya starred in Disney shows Shake It Up! from 2010 to 2013 and K.C. Undercover from 2015 to 2017. In 2016, she won the Kids’ Choice Award for favorite TV actress for her role as K.C. Cooper in K.C. Undercover.
Apart from Holland, other notable cast members include Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Donald Glover and Hannibal Buress.
A lot of initial fan reactions mention that Zendaya does not look like your typical iteration of Watson, primarily noting her complexion. In fact, she will be the first black actress to play the iconic Spider-Man character.
If there’s one thing I’m concerned about, though, it’s her height. While she stands at 5-foot-10, Holland is listed at 5-foot-8, one inch shorter than your average British male. Looks like director Jon Watts will have to pull off the classic Tom-Cruise fix.
All joking aside, Holland is an awesome Spider-Man.
The Spider-Man film franchise is set to reboot for the third time with Homecoming‘s release on July 7, 2017.
