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‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ — Director Jon Watts Tells All, Stays Quiet On Donald Glover’s Role

By Stephen Jordan
Published on: 07:50 PST, Jun 17, 2016

Spider-Man: Homecoming is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated movies, not just of the superhero variety, of 2017. With the incredible casting news that has been spilling the last few months, the project has become even more anticipated by moviegoers. Now, director Jon Watts is talking about Spider-Man and the whole casting process.

During an interview with Daily Beast, Watts commented on the decision to cast racially diverse faces for the supporting roles, while refusing to say anything about the role Donald Glover will be playing in the film. He also talked about the previous Spider-Man films — by both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb — and whether or not he feels pressure to live up to or stand against those previous interpretations.

There is one question they get to rather quickly, one that has been on the minds of Spider-Man geeks for the last several days now. Is Donald Glover Miles Morales?

“I probably can’t say anything. There’s a little sniper dot on me at all times, just in case. They’ll hit me with a tranq dart.”

Well, of course Jon Watts wasn’t going to answer this question. He neither confirmed nor denied the claim that Glover is Morales, but simply ignored the question all together. Which may continue to lead some to think Donald Glover may very well be playing an older version of Miles Morales, which would definitely be a new direction to take with the character.

What’s more likely is that the actor/comedian/rapper is playing someone else, someone they don’t want to reveal right now, which has pretty much been the case with every other supporting role that has been cast.

Spider-Man has been around, cinematically, for 14 years, debuting with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002. Spider-Man: Homecoming will be the sixth Spider-Man film and Watts surprisingly doesn’t really feel much pressure about it. More than anything, the team involved is looking to really highlight Peter Parker’s life in high-school, and Watts says it has been fun looking for new things to try that the other movies never attempted.

“It’s been really fun to just look for things that none of the other Spider-Man movies have really explored before, and decide if that’s something we want to work into that,” Watts revealed. “And really making it a high school movie, and committing to that, and not having that just be the beginning of the movie. The John Hughes sort of tone. When you’re looking at it through that prism, it really opens up the door to a lot of possibilities.”

Jon Watts revealed that he was brought onboard to direct the film just as actor Tom Holland had been cast in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He was privy to everything that was happening in Captain America: Civil War, and even got to visit the set while directors Joe and Anthony Russo were filming.

“I was there when they were shooting it and sort of lurking in the back, looking over the Russo’s shoulders, and I had ideas about this and that,” the indie director commented.

Watts’ previous projects include 2015’s Cop Car, which starred Kevin Bacon, and 2014’s Clown, along with a series of short films and television episodes he directed. Making the jump from low-budget/television to major studio blockbuster hasn’t really been a daunting one for Watts, and he confirms that filming will begin soon.

“I’m having a really good time. It’s such an amazing team working with both Marvel and Sony.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming, from Marvel and Sony and director Jon Watts, stars Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Zendaya, Michael Barbieri, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Kenneth Choi, Martin Starr, Donald Glover, and Logan Marshall-Green. Spider-Man: Homecoming is set for release on July 7, 2017.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Sundance]

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