Umberto Gonzalez, the fellow who (incorrectly) told us Scott Eastwood’s character in “Suicide Squad” was Steve Trevor , has a new “exclusive.”
Gonzalez – who was calling himself “El Mayimbe” when he broke the Trevor “news” – says he has two sources claiming 19-year-old former Disney Channel star Zendaya will play Mary Jane Watson in “Spider-Man Homecoming.”
In an interview last month, “Spider-Man Homecoming” director Jon Watts said Zendaya was playing a character named “Michelle.”
If Gonzalez is right, this will be the second time Marvel/Sony has cast a former child star in the role, following the turns in the first three Spidey movies by “Interview With The Vampire” icon Kirsten Dunst.
(Is Gonzalez better with Marvel news than DC news? In June Gonzalez tweeted that the next Wolverine movie would NOT be based on Mark Millar’s “Old Man Logan” comic books, though many - most? - subsequent reports claim the opposite.)
The 5’10” Zendaya, a California native born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, starred in 75 episodes of “Shake It Up” and 56 episodes of “KC Undercover,” both Disney Channel series. Whether she plays Michelle or Mary Jane, the new Spider-Man film will be her first big-screen live-action role.
The Disney Channel may be turning out to be a tremendous source of actresses bound to play the girlfriends of superheroes. Kiercy Clemons, another veteran of Disney Channel series generally and “Shake It Up” in particular, was recently reported in Variety to have been cast as Barry Allen’s love interest Iris West in the big-screen “Flash” movie opposite Ezra Miller.
"Spider-Man Homecoming" hits cinemas July 7.
Find all of Gonzalez’ story on the Spidey casting here.
