??Zendaya Joins ‘Spider-Man’ Reboot At Sony — But Who Is She Playing?

??Zendaya — singer, actress, and model — has just been cast in Sony’s Spider-Man reboot with Tom Holland. Deadline broke the news on Monday, as they exclusively learned of Zendaya’s casting in the next Spider-Man film and confirmed it. Deadline writer Mike Fleming Jr. says “I hear she will play a character named Michelle.”

But who is Zendaya actually playing in the movie? That has yet to be revealed. But if you decided to Google “Spider-Man” + “Michelle,” you would probably see the name Michele Gonzales. This is a character created by comic writer Mark Waid and artist Mike McKone, who was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2009 (issue #592). She was a roommate with Peter Parker, as well as a possible love interest, and a criminal defense lawyer. She knows Tae Bo Kickboxing as well as Muay Thai, and owns a shotgun.

It’s safe to say Zendaya won’t be playing Michele Gonzales. Just from that description alone, that character doesn’t sound like anything Sony would want to be bringing into the Spider-Man universe right now. Like a lot of these circumstances, Zendaya is probably playing a character that doesn’t exist in any of the comics but who has something important to do in the film. That could mean she has a key emotional moment in the film, or she’s related to someone important — it could mean any number of things. It’s unlikely that she is playing Mary-Jane Watson. There is also the possibility that “Michelle” is simply a code name, hiding her real identity.

Although, there is one more interesting possibility. Zendaya could be playing someone named Michelle who is used as a bridge between this Spider-Man film and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony can use characters that exist in the MCU, but cannot use any of their major characters. They only have access to the minor characters, and maybe Michelle is one of these characters. If she is a connection to the likes of Iron Man or S.H.I.E.L.D., then Zendaya absolutely would be serving a key role in the film. But, again, it’s just speculation.

Zendaya is very talented and happens to be an up-and-coming actress. She was the star of Disney Channel’s Shake It Up! as well as K.C. Undercover. It’s also worth noting that Zendaya’s father is black and her mother is white, which means being cast in the Spider-Man reboot is an opportunity for a black actress to have a role in a major motion picture and blockbuster.

Zendaya originally started out working as a fashion model for retailers like Macy’s, Mervyns, and Old Navy.

YAY! @Zendaya reportedly scores 'key role' in #SpiderMan reboot! https://t.co/bCNk4MtqVZ pic.twitter.com/dsLDKyirYx

— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) March 7, 2016

Back in the summer of 2014, it was announced that Zendaya would be playing the late R&B singer, Aaliyah, in Lifetime’s TV biopic film Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B. The casting decision was met with some criticism, with some feeling that her skin was too light for the role, also noting that she did not share any physical resemblance to Aaliyah. But just a few weeks following this, it was announced that Zendaya had dropped out of the the project and production was put on hold.

“The main reason is that the production value wasn’t there, there were complications with the music rights, and I just felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately considering the situation,” Zendaya stated. She also tried to get in contact with Aaliyah’s family, but she was unsuccessful in doing so. Alexandra Shipp, who is in X-Men: Apocalypse, was cast in the role instead, and the movie was completely trashed by critics and fans of Aaliyah. So Zendaya definitely dodged a bullet with that one.

The Spider-Man reboot is going to be directed by Jon Watts, who previously directed Cop Car.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]