Jake Gyllenhaal is officially in talks with Sony Pictures to star in the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming as the infamous villain Mysterio, according to Deadline.
2017's Tom Holland-starring remake brought Spidey back to the big screen and, after years of rights issues, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, with Michael Keaton as Peter Parker’s nefarious foe Vulture. It was quickly hailed as one of the best films of the summer and dubbed the best Spider-Man movie ever by some for its diverse cast and prominent relationship with the wider MCU.
Now Gyllenhaal could be joining that universe to play Mysterio, a character who entered the Spider-Man comic lexicon in 1964.
Gyllenhaal was once prepared to suit up as Spider-Man himself, but instead Tobey Maguire took on the lead role in Sam Raimi's 2002 original. Keaton’s role as Vulture in last summer’s blockbuster may have left Gyllenhaal some big shoes to fill as Spider-Man’s new villain.
It’s not totally clear what the focus of this next film will be, but according to Screenrant, Spidey is leaving his neighborhood in Queens for an overseas adventure thanks to a mysterious threat. It’ll be interesting to see what returning director Jon Watts does with the Mysterio character, who behind his costume is Quentin Beck, a “failed actor turned special effects guru.”
The next Spider-Man film is set to debut July 5, 2019.
