Up-and-comer Michael Barbieri has opened talks to join Spider-Man: Homecoming, the hotly-anticipated reboot arriving by way of director Jon Watts.
Barbieri, who recently sealed a deal to star opposite Idris Elba in The Dark Tower, is circling an undisclosed role in Watts and Marvel’s standalone feature, which already boasts a cast that comprises Tom Holland in the title role, Marissa Tomei, Zendaya, Robert Downey Jr. and, after much back and forth, Michael Keaton.
John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein are the brains behind the script, and thanks to Holland’s cracking debut in Captain America: Civil War, there’s an air of excitement surrounding the actor’s inaugural solo outing in Homecoming. The fact that Robert Downey Jr. has inked a deal to appear in the offshoot indicates that Marvel is keen to not only flesh out the chemistry between both Holland and Downey Jr., but also to tee up an arc where Tony Stark lends a helping hand to Marvel’s wet-behind-the-ears Spidey as he finds his feet battling thugs, crime and possibly The Vulture in NYC.
Holding full creative control over the solo movie, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming is expected to swing into theaters on July 7, 2017.