Deadline is reporting that actress Zendaya has been cast in the 2017 Spider-Man reboot film. The report says she will play a character by the name of Michelle. Zendaya is currently playing KC in the KC Undercover series on the Disney channel. What are your thoughts? Would you like to see her as Michelle Gonzales? She’s been out of the comics for several years now, here’s a refresher.
Brad Douglas
View articlesBrad created the Crawlspace back in 1998 while attending college at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He’s the webmaster and writes front page news items, and also produces, hosts and edits the podcast. He’s been collecting Spider-Man comics since the age of three and is a life-long fan of the webhead. His website has been featured in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and on Marvel.com and inside the comics themselves. The Crawlspace is one of the first Spider-Man fan sites to ever hit the internet. Millions of people visit the site every year.
Brad has interviewed several “Spider-Celebrities” over the years including co-creator Stan Lee. He’s also interviewed actors who have portrayed Spider-Man like Paul Soles (Voice Actor from the 67 Spider-Man Cartoon), Dan Gilvezan (Spidey Voice Actor from Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends) ,Yuri Lownthal (Voice Actor from the Spider-Man PlayStation game) and Nicholas Hammond (Spider-Man 1977 Actor).
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- Evan Berry on Panel of the Day #1615 (Splash Page Sunday!): “@Hornacek – Maybe Stan reserved the writer credit for himself.” Nov 18, 08:01
- Hornacek on Panel of the Day #1615 (Splash Page Sunday!): “In these older issues, why is the writer sometimes listed as “Scripter”? Is this like in a movie credits where…” Nov 17, 09:09
- Hornacek on Panel of the Day #1615 (Splash Page Sunday!): “I mean, eventually he’ll fall enough that he can web onto a building. This isn’t that dire a situation. Now…” Nov 17, 09:08
- Evan Berry on Panel of the Day #1612 (Splash Page Sunday!): “I guess there was something different about Cindy Moon’s body chemistry, too.” Nov 11, 08:15
- Hornacek on Panel of the Day #1612 (Splash Page Sunday!): “I don’t like the whole “something was different with Peter’s body chemistry” explanation here. He was bitten by a spider…” Nov 11, 04:30
- Gevorg on 1994 Spider-Man #15: “Battle of the Insidious Six” Review: “Your complaints look like nitpicks and made-up. Why angry face should be indicative of seeing stone crushed?” Nov 10, 14:28
- Evan Berry on Panel of the Day #1611: “I might be in the minority, but I’ve always been confused about Spider-man Noir’s wielding a gun.” Nov 8, 09:36
- Hornacek on Craig’s Critique: Amazing Spider-Man #60 (Legacy #954): “Hit The Road, Zeb” or “All [REDACTED] Things Must Come To An End”: “@Paul Penna: I just don’t see any future writer “doing” anything with Paul besides having him around. Marvel wants him…” Nov 6, 09:19
- Evan Berry on Panel(s) of the Day #1610 (Mary Jane Monday!): “@Hornacek — I would make a horrible Spider-man. So many times, were I in his place, I would have confided…” Nov 5, 07:53
- Hornacek on Panel(s) of the Day #1610 (Mary Jane Monday!): “At least he said “I have to go take photos for the Bugle.” This is a valid excuse since this…” Nov 5, 04:26
In issue #2, Miles asks a question, a question many of us have asked. He’s young and he is trying to figure it out. In my opinion, it is story and character appropriate. I knew some would read into it. I knew it would be interpreted by others because it’s a good question with no easy answer.
If they want to take the character and make her a high school student or even a love interest for just this film I’m fine with that. So long as it falls apart in this film or at the start of the next film. It’s all good.
Betty Brant, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane were not in Spider-Man’s first appearance. Sure Liz Allen was there, but that never worked out.
What makes Spider-Man special (well, before OMD) is that MJ was not in his first appearance and that’s who he winds up with. Lois Lane was always there for Superman. It makes Spidey’s journey more interesting and realistic. I did not marry my high school sweetheart or anyone I met 10 years ago. Most people haven’t I’m sure.
Whatever the outcome, I’m going to stay positive. No Avi Arad influence!!!! I’ll worry about the Venom film that he’s all over and call it a ‘happy’ day with anything regarding the new Spider-Man.
If this is who I think it is from the comics. NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Really out of every woman in the Spider-man books, Gwen, MJ, Cat, Betty, Liz Allen, Sissy Ironwood, That new chick in the books with the dying mother who is so unimportant I cant think of her name, and hell even Carlie Cooper, which pains me to even say this, but Carlie is a better pick, then his psycho ex roommate asshole Michelle. (Sarcasm cause we dont know yet. “Wow give Marvel the rights to use Spider-man, and they might pick a BND Era person over MJ. What a shock.” again, Sarcasm cause we dont know yet.)
I sure hope they’re not trying to mine BND for characters, especially since they’re reverting Peter back to high school (so as to make mucho-maximum movies out of the young actor portraying Peter before he grows up-and-out of the part), and none of the BND characters fit that time-frame. And the fact that BND was pretty bad. Idk what they did with her in DD, but Michelle Rodriguez was an unlikeable Latina cliche.
Another point. Every time the producers use a fake name for someone’s casting it’s been for the main villain. Talia, Khan, and Blofeld have been the examples. Has this happened for a supporting character? In that case, this would be the first example. Could Michelle be a villain? :O
@17. Actually yes. OK maybe not. But they didn’t have to do the Chinese stereotype. They already had created a great modern, relevant, and non-insulting version of the Mandarin with Sir Ben Kingsley’s portrayal and it was awesome. Why pull the rug underneath with the “I’m an Act-OR” BS? Why did they let the director stray so much away from the character (again, being Osama Bin Laden whanna-be was great, puppet actor for generic-rich-white guy-that-hates-Tony again, not)?
@18 As for the Ant Man, I guess until the script is not leaked I’ll never know (has it leaked). I just know that I like Wright’s direction and his movies always have a “flavor” to it that would have given the otherwise generic Ant Man something to remember. Let’s remember, he didn’t stray much from Scott Pilgrim lest the ending.
@20 Interesting. But maybe she doesn’t know about Michelle. Or maybe like Al suggested, it’s a reworked version of the BND Michelle.
I will wait until I see it to pass judgement.
Sure, why not. She kind of looks the part if indeed the character she will be playing is Michelle Gonzalez. Also, It doesn’t mean that the character will be a romantic interest.
@#15: Maybe, I should have added Zendaya wouldn’t have gone for this part otherwise, she left a lead role in a TV movie, b/c of her
controversy casting in it, I doubt she’ll want to be involved in a blatant one.
Hopefully the name “Michelle” is just a placeholder instead of one of the worst Spider-Man supporting cast characters of all time. This would be a shame, when more prominent characters like Betty Brant, Liz Allen and even Glory Grant are barely shown, or not even referenced.
Just like the Webb version of Spider-Man, I am not getting a good vibe on this reboot of a reboot…
@#15: Wright’s unique vision of Ant-Man sucked shit. What we got might’ve been generic but it was comparatively a lot closer to the Ant-Man comics than what Wright was doing. I don’t want to see filmmaker’s unique visions in these movies I want to see the source material replicated in live action in 90 mins-3 hours as authentically as possible.
As for the Mandarin I stand by they could have made a character who sidestepped horrible racist stereotypes but still fulfilled the same functions as the Mandarin. All you really needed to do was make him someone who harnessed what he thought was ancient magic/technology int he form of 10 rings and then use them in a grudge match against Tony to kick his ass. And maybe he happened to be Asian, but that’s it. That’s all the Mandarin needed to be. 10 magic rings + kicks iron Man’s ass.
As for this news:
My speculations:
a) This is Disney corporate synergy (I doubt this but just throwing it out there)
b) Michelle might be an original character intended to add some diversity to the cast of Peter’s high school (she is the same age as Holland so I doubt she isn’t going to be a student)
c) Michelle is an original character to serve a role in the story, potentially as a superfluous love interest until we get to the canon ones later on
d) Michelle will in fact be playing a very reworked version of Michele Gonzales who’s retroactively inserted into Peter’s cast either as a love interest or as again someone to add some characters to the high school supporting cast, not dissimilar to Sajani in Robbie Thompson’s Spidey ongoing
e) Michelle is a codename assigned to the character in press releases because she will actually be playing a canon character such as Mary Jane. Basically what happened when Marion Cotillard played ‘Miranda Tate’ in the Dark Knight Rises or when Christoph Waltz played ‘Franz Oberhauser’ in Spectre when really they were playing Talia and Blofeld.
f) Michelle will be a ‘stage name’ for Mary Jane to go by so she can be referred to in the movie without anyone suspecting anything. In the modern age of social media it has become difficult to replicate the classic Mary Jane subplot from the 1960s which culminated with her big reveal and Peter being shocked by her subverting his expectations. Nowdays Peter could, unless you contrive a reason in the plot, simply look up Mary Jane Watson on the internet and find images of her ruining the surprise. But by having her be simply ‘Michelle’ it makes it harder for Peter to find out what she looks like and similarly can misdirect the audience, especially those only familiar with Dunst’s MJ.
@15 – Would IM3 have been better with the 60s comics Mandarin with all the dated Asian stereotypes?\
As for Ant-Man, as awesome as an 100% Edgar Wright Ant-Man would be, these are Marvel’s characters. If Wright had created this character he should be able to make the movie however he wants. But he was hired by Marvel to help interpret an existing comic character to the big screen. They wanted his talent and style on the film, but they have the right to step in and say “Hey, you are straying too far from how we want the character portrayed. You are the writer/director, but we are the producers, we own the character.” When you’re hired by Marvel to make a movie, you’re making THEIR movie, not YOUR movie.
(and I know nothing about what Wright’s version of the script/movie would have been, I just know he left the project and was replaced)
no.
@13 You mean the same Marvel that gave us the Mandarin fiasco in IM3? The same Marvel that sacrificed Edgar Wright’s unique vision of Ant Man for a generic run-of-the-mill superhero flick? As long as it makes $$$ they don’t care
*a Latina character.
I think Marvel is smart enough to not have cast a black actress to play a Latina actress.
I’m so glad I’m close to completing my Spidey comic book collection (main titles anyway). This way I an immerse myself in the real life of Peter Parker. I need to escape this nonsense.
Given the current “Spidey” book I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvel has Michelle be retconned to have met Peter in high school.
This movie apparently has no direction or sense of time. Terrible.
Are they going to have the rape-not-rape scene? That would be weird…
Ugh, I think I’ll pass. I didn’t like Michelle in the comic book and I don’t think putting her in the movie is a good idea.
I wonder if “Michelle” is a placeholder name for who she’s actually playing?
Pass.
Was anyone asking Marvel Studios to include Michelle Gonzales in the new film? I guess they want a different love interest than MJ and Gwen, but I would rather have Cissy Ironwood.
What if she’s actually playing Ava Ayala?
I’ll put this as simply as I can, Brad. No, I don’t want to see her play Michelle Gonzales.
She’s in the right age group for Holland but putting Michelle Gonzales in a high school Spider-Man movie just seems really odd, especially since it seems like she’s in a major role (possibly as the female lead).
Honestly, from what I’ve seen of her, I think Zendaya could actually do a pretty good Mary Jane.
Time to do some bitching.
This is my nightmare.
Aaaahhhh, I really dislike Michelle Gonzalez.
And with the writers of current flop ‘Vacation” on board, it’s not really something to look forward to.