Fresh from his Emmy nomination for Severance, Adam Scott’s next job is seemingly going to be very different. As confirmed by Deadline, the Parks And Recreation actor has joined the cast of Madame Web, Sony’s next expansion in its universe of Marvel characters. Starring Dakota Johnson (Persuasion), the cast also includes Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), Isabela Merced (Dora The Explorer), Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), and Celeste O’Connor (Ghostbusters: Afterlife).
Apart from Johnson playing the title character, details on the project have been kept under wraps. Madame Web was originally depicted as an elderly blind woman, but the title has also been held by the more youthful Julia Carpenter, which is presumably what’s happening here with Johnson’s casting. There is speculation that Merced’s character is Anya Corazon, the hero known as Araña, and that the film will be a Spider-Women team-up.
Amongst Marvel fans, Scott has been a somewhat popular casting for a character who is definitely not going to show up in Madame Web unless some complicated things happen, rights-wise: Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. (Admittedly, this contingent has not been as vocal as the one hoping for another NBC sitcom actor.)
Madame Web is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Sony controls the film appearances of Spider-Man and adjacent characters; Peter Parker has been loaned out to Marvel Studios on a limited basis since 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Sony also has Kraven The Hunter in production now, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Abbott.
Madame Web is currently filming in Boston. A report from Boston.com indicates that at least some of the story will take place in New York City in the early 2000s, thanks to set decorations including ads for Palm Pilots and Beyoncé’s Dangerously In Love.
Besides Severance, Scott was last seen in Loot, another Apple TV+ series. More than a decade after its initial cancelation, he recently reprised his role in the acclaimed Starz comedy Party Down, though a release date has yet to be announced.