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Zendaya's role in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING has been revealed!

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GAMEPROFF

Banned
Sure they did. They're a corporation. Idiots have money. Do the math.

Everything is going to be evaluated by how much they can afford to piss off idiots and still make the money they want, at one level or another. Don't be naive, this is Hollywood; racists are placated every week.

Yeah, just see how Lucasfilm suffered because they promoted Finn as the Jedi in the ads and trailers.

Nerds tend to whine the internet full and still buy the product in the end. The 5 people who really boycott this movies in the end doesnt matter.

Edit: Also, there are most likely a couple of hundred persons in the world who really care. And even fewer who would not go to see this movie because there are racist idiots.
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
Sure they did. They're a corporation. Idiots have money. Do the math.

Everything is going to be evaluated by how much they can afford to piss off idiots and still make the money they want, at one level or another. Don't be naive, this is Hollywood; racists are placated every week.

not nearly as much as you think, so perhaps you shouldn't tell others to 'do the math'

Disney has been pushing diversity hard these last few years, with resounding success.
 

Sanjuro

Member
She had better be Mary Jane and not just "MJ".

MJ's Father: You worthless piece of trash. Who do you think you're talking to!? Trash just like your mother. Here's some other trash for you!

*Rubs birth certificate in MJ's face. Camera zooms in. It clearly states "MJ". Her tears cover the entire certificate.*

-------------------------------------

*There lies The Vulture. DEAD. Tony Stark comes flying into the frame in his Iron Man suit. Hands PP a packet.*

Tony Stark: Good job, Underroos. Here's a little something for you.

-------------------------------------

*End credits scene: Peter visits MJ.*

PP: My friend heard about what happened to you. We fixed it.

*MJ's eyes widen. Camera zooms in on new birth certificate which reads Mary Jane Watsun. The characters embrace as the cinema cuts to black*
 

Slayven

Member
Yeah, just see how Lucasfilm suffered because they promoted Finn as the Jedi in the ads and trailers.

Nerds tend to whine the internet full and still buy the product in the end. The 5 people who really boycott this movies in the end doesnt matter.

And let the church say amen
 

Squire

Banned
Yeah, just see how Lucasfilm suffered because they promoted Finn as the Jedi in the ads and trailers.

Nerds tend to whine the internet full and still buy the product in the end. The 5 people who really boycott this movies in the end doesnt matter.

not nearly as much as you think, so perhaps you shouldn't tell others to 'do the math'

Disney has been pushing diversity hard these last few years, with resounding success.

I love that and want more of it.

I'm saying: Don't be naive. They're absolutely taking into account changes that will cause a backlash, how much of a backlash it will be, and whether or not it's worth it.

Like, credit where it's due, but I'm not going to hold up Disney as a completely liberal utopia when people like Ike Perlmutter are still part of the orginazation. And I know he's not involved with this, I'm just saying: There's going to be a degree of cynicism and cold calculations at any corporation because the end goal is to do what is profitable, not necesarilly what moves the needle forward socially, and the best case scenario (for them) is when the two seem to intertwine. Like Star Wars and maybe this, too!

Edit: I'm not approaching any of this with the qualifier of "nerds on the Internet" either. Racism is alive and as flagrant as ever in 2016. There is no reason whatsoever to restrict concerns to people online.
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
I love that and want more of it.

I'm saying: Don't be naive. They're absolutely taking into account changes that will cause a backlash, how much of a backlash it will be, and whether or not it's worth it.

No one is being naive here: Homecoming is filled to the brim with persons of color because Disney has realized it is more profitable to be diverse than not. No one thinks they are a charity, but everyone understands that no amount of impotent racist nerd rage is going to move the needle here.
 

Not

Banned
She's 19

Why would that be a problem. She's an adult

I'm just sick of so many dudes chasing young, especially as they themselves get older and older. Five year age diff pushes it at this stage in my life.

I'm really hoping her "real" name is Mary Jane. Making it just "MJ" for a twist is pretty weird.
 

Malyse

Member
I worked on an episode of the Disney Channel show, K.C. Undercover, and while I was there I witnessed something that has stuck with me for a long time.

We were resetting for a take than involved some of the characters exiting from inside one set out onto the street, where they'd then run into someone else and continue the scene. This basically meant that before we were rolling, the actors were all waiting inside a pretty small area away from the main crew, shooting the breeze while the cameras readjusted and whatnot.
I talked to the other actors (Zendaya included) about "The Princess Bride," "Star Wars," binge-watching "Buffy" on Netflix, and what sort of meal we might eat for dinner, like you do. At one point the conversation turned to favorite fried foods.
Zendaya chimed in about how she hadn't had mozzarella sticks in a long time, and we all agreed that mozzarella sticks are pretty fucking great.
We rolled camera, did the sequence a few times, and started getting ready for the next scene. Maybe 20, 25 minutes had passed.

Out of nowhere, a PA came running up to us and handed Zendaya a cardboard take-out box. She opened it, and inside was an absolute crap-load of mozzarella sticks, piping hot.
Zendaya looked up at us with a "What the fuck? HOW?" expression, before she was immediately whisked away to do a wardrobe change.

Understand, it was pretty late at night and we were working at a pretty small studio that didn't have an open commissary. There were no restaurants nearby that were still open.
Yet somehow, someone had orchestrated an entire midnight wild goose chase to find and fetch mozzarella sticks, completed it in secret, and sent them over to Zendaya, even though she had never specifically asked for them. It was incredible.

At the time, I didn't know about her record deals, clothing lines, dancing-with-the-stars adventures or what meetings she had been taking for what sort of huge projects that were in the works. I didn't keep up on my Disney Channel lore, so I had no idea that she had other shows or history at the studio. She was just another person playing pretend, waiting for our cue to walk on stage, giggling about 90s tv shows and snack foods.
But at that moment when the fried cheese appeared, I knew there was a whole nother tier of expectations and pressures and future prospects on her plate. And I hoped she'd handle them well. You don't get mozzarella stick treatment unless some people with a lot of money have a lot of big plans for you.

Perhaps the people best suited for mozzarella stick treatment, then, are the ones who wouldn't ask for it. She was as shocked and thankful and mystified as any of us would have been the moment she opened the box. I think that's a good sign.

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/08...e-could-break-the-internet#comment-2845043234
 

The Kree

Banned
Yeah, I feel like we're overlooking something obvious.

She's got over 30 million Instagram followers - that's 30 million more than the guy playing Spider-Man.

I think they want people to go see this movie, so they hired an actor with a fanbase.
 
Yeah, I feel like we're overlooking something obvious.

She's got over 30 million Instagram followers - that's 30 million more than the guy playing Spider-Man.

I think they want people to go see this movie, so they hired an actor with a fanbase.

The IP alone is enough to put people in seats. They didn't stunt cast for this at all.
 

Fencedude

Member
The IP alone is enough to put people in seats. They didn't stunt cast for this at all.

I'm betting the overlap between "people who will go because its Spider-Man" and "people who follow Zendaya on Instagram" isn't particularly huge.

So while its not "stunt casting", its certainly got some side-benefits.
 

icespide

Banned
I'm betting the overlap between "people who will go because its Spider-Man" and "people who follow Zendaya on Instagram" isn't particularly huge.

So while its not "stunt casting", its certainly got some side-benefits.
first movie to hit 2 billion worldwide confirmed
 
I'm betting the overlap between "people who will go because its Spider-Man" and "people who follow Zendaya on Instagram" isn't particularly huge.

So while its not "stunt casting", its certainly got some side-benefits.

It's probably bigger than you think. And I really don't think Marvel or Sony were vetting actors for crossover fan potential. She most likely got the role for looks, acting ability, and the fact that she's an in-house Disney actress that expressed interest in it.
 

Squire

Banned
No one is being naive here: Homecoming is filled to the brim with persons of color because Disney has realized it is more profitable to be diverse than not. No one thinks they are a charity, but everyone understands that no amount of impotent racist nerd rage is going to move the needle here.

I don't disagree. I think my original post reads differently than I intended. Sorry.
 
Probably been said before but I want Peter to be hopelessly fawning over "hot Michelle" all throughout the movie whilst his aunt suggests he takes her friends niece.

Then the reveal.
 
I'm just sick of so many dudes chasing young, especially as they themselves get older and older. Five year age diff pushes it at this stage in my life.

Age doesn't necessarily equate to a specific level of maturity or life experience, two people of completely different ages might be a better fit than two people of the same age.

And I hope they just bite the bullet and make her Mary Jane as well.
 

Apt101

Member
I wonder if we'll still be having these kinds of discussions about the race of people cast in adaptations in twenty years. I hope not. I mean, what if the Punisher was Wesley Snipes. Would it fucking matter? Does MJ being black really change anything, at all, about the character? A pretty little black girl lives next door to Peter in Queens, goes on to become a model and actress? Does she have to be white?

I get that it's an iconic character and all, and that she's easily recognizable. But I'm guessing that if this story hadn't broke and the first image from the film we saw was a frame from a scene with Peter and Zendaya with red (or even merely reddish) hair everyone would have immediately recognized her as MJ.
 
http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/08/19/why-would-zendayas-spider-man-role-be-a-reveal

Devin Faraci weighs in on Zendaya/MJ:



This seems to corroborate with this report on Vulture.com that Zendaya's character's name is not Mary Jane, but is MJ.

I just want to quote myself from the Spider-Man production thread, which I had actually thought I posted in this thread, but I guess the same conversation was happening in both...

Has the idea been floated that maybe Zendaya's character is actually just Michelle Johnson? and they call her MJ for short?
or maybe her middles name(s) Mary-Jane.
Michelle Mary Jane Johnson. and she prefers to be called by her middle name(s)?

Doesn't seem so far fetched to me.

Michelle "MJ" Johnson
 
I am tired of Spiderman characters keep getting paired with hot chicks. Can we get a teenager science nerd Peter Parker once in a while? Can we just for one movie, get a Spiderman who just stay in his basement and make different shooting webs and surf gaf all day?
 

Angel_DvA

Member
I am tired of Spiderman characters keep getting paired with hot chicks. Can we get a teenager science nerd Peter Parker once in a while? Can we just for one movie, get a Spiderman who just stay in his basement and make different shooting webs and surf gaf all day?

Well Tom Holland is pretty average nerdy type to me, far from being a model but the fact that he can have loving interest with those girls is pretty ridiculous...
 
BTW I am not familiar with this girl but she has the same facial expression in all her photos. I wouldn't be surprised if her acting is as wooden as most model actors.
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
I am tired of Spiderman characters keep getting paired with hot chicks. Can we get a teenager science nerd Peter Parker once in a while? Can we just for one movie, get a Spiderman who just stay in his basement and make different shooting webs and surf gaf all day?

teenage science nerd Parker had babes from day 1

BTW I am not familiar with this girl but she has the same facial expression in all her photos. I wouldn't be surprised if her acting is as wooden as most model actors.

she's an actor, not a model-actor
 

Xun

Member
I'm just sick of so many dudes chasing young, especially as they themselves get older and older. Five year age diff pushes it at this stage in my life.

I'm really hoping her "real" name is Mary Jane. Making it just "MJ" for a twist is pretty weird.
It depends on the situation, no?

Certain age gaps are pushing it, but I don't think 5 years is at all.
 
So she is a completely different character taking the place of an established character.

Makes me think it's legal issues.

No, I'm pretty sure this is just a similar move to what the Bond franchise did in 2012 with "Eve Moneypenny." Basically they hid the obvious true identity of an iconic character from the fanbase and had solely referred to Moneypenny up to the release of the film as "Eve."
 
i had a dream last night that tom holland visited the mathematics tutoring centre i used to go to as a kid and everytime i tried to take a picture with him my camera would fuck up

it was a frustrating as hell dream
 

Pachimari

Member
I hope she is Mary Jane Watson but if she is not, and she is this Michelle "MJ" Johnson character, then I'll still be happy about it as long as she is the main love interest in the trilogy.
 
I hope she is Mary Jane Watson but if she is not, and she is this Michelle "MJ" Johnson character, then I'll still be happy about it as long as she is the main love interest in the trilogy.

I just want "MJ Watson" at the very least, in regards to her name. I can live with Michelle J. Watson or whatever, but I think her surname should at least still be there too. Ideally, if they are pulling the Michelle = MJ twist here, I'm hoping her full name is just Mary Jane Michelle Watson- with Mary Jane as her first name and Michelle as her middle name (or vice-versa) that she initially uses in the first film and then is addressed as Mary Jane or MJ from there on out.

And considering how Zendaya was cast in the role several months early compared to the rest of the newcomers for Spider-Man: Homecoming, I definitely think she's going to be the main love interest for the new film series. One of the details that came out when she was first announced in the role was that the idea was for her character to play a smaller role in the first film and then become more prominent moving forward.
 

Pachimari

Member
I just want "MJ Watson" at the very least, in regards to her name. I can live with Michelle J. Watson or whatever, but I think her surname should at least still be there too. Ideally, if they are pulling the Michelle = MJ twist here, I'm hoping her full name is just Mary Jane Michelle Watson- with Mary Jane as her first name and Michelle as her middle name (or vice-versa) that she initially uses in the first film and then is addressed as Mary Jane or MJ from there on out.

And considering how Zendaya was cast in the role several months early compared to the rest of the newcomers for Spider-Man: Homecoming, I definitely think she's going to be the main love interest for the new film series. One of the details that came out when she was first announced in the role was that the idea was for her character to play a smaller role in the first film and then become more prominent moving forward.
So in short. You really do want her to be Mary Jane Watson that we know from the comics. While I won't care as long as she is the main love interest.
 
So in short. You really do want her to be Mary Jane Watson that we know from the comics. While I won't care as long as she is the main love interest.

I want it to be as clear as possible that this is the Mary Jane of the MCU. I'm not so anal as to say she has to be a note-for-note recreation of the 616 or Ultimate iterations of her. I'm perfectly aware that this take, no matter what, will be a different spin on the character that holds certain influences of the different Mary Janes from the comic-verses.

Mainly... I just want to see Marvel Studios be firm on this issue- that the MCU MJ is a woman of color and that no amount of butthurt from the fans will cause them to chicken out on this move and give an excuse to say "Oh look, here's the actual Mary Jane Watson" in a following film if the Michelle/"MJ" move doesn't land. Kinda like how that whole twist with the Mandarin in IM3 got retconned after the backlash.
 
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