Madame Web Continues To Surprise Fans With Another Unexpected Revelation

Setting aside the fact that a movie set in 2003 is considered a period piece now (it still feels contemporary to us), this particular time frame is a weird choice.

It’s a departure from the typical superhero movie formula, where stories are often set in the relative present. It also makes Madame Web the first Spider-Man movie to dive into the past and the first mainstream superhero flick since 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984 to embrace a period setting.

The choice of 2003, in particular, is raising eyebrows, especially considering the movie didn’t pay too much attention to being period accurate.

In one scene from the Madame Web trailer, a New Yorker is spotted engrossed in a PSP (PlayStation Portable), a device that didn’t actually hit the market until 2005. This peculiar detail has left fans wondering about the film’s dedication to historical accuracy.

According to entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider, the reason for 2003 goes deeper than an odd choice to set the film in the early 2000s.

Apparently, Madame Web was initially set in the 90s, aligning itself as a prequel to Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man movies. However, a change of heart led Sony to pivot to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

In Garfield’s version of Spider-Man, Peter Parker was born in the 90s, with the movies taking place in the 2010s.

Holland’s version of Peter Parker was born in 2001, and his movies took place around the same time they were released to theaters (setting aside the timeline complications caused by Thanos’s snap).

So, for Madame Web to be a prequel to Holland’s Spider-Man, it makes sense for the movie to take place somewhere just past the turn of the millennium.

According to Sneider, the timeline shift happened due mostly to inconsistencies in the Madame Web/Amazing Spider-Man timelines.

But the film’s narrative complexity doesn’t end there. Rumors suggest that Adam Scott is set to portray a young Ben Parker, which could offer clues about the universe in which the story unfolds. 

Or maybe not. Sony’s approach to worldbuilding in its Spider-Man movies has been known to be unconventional, and Madame Web seems no different.

Whether the film seamlessly integrates its period setting or faces challenges in maintaining continuity, we’ll have to wait and see.

Madame Web has been in development since 2019 with S. J. Clarkson joining as director in 2020, collaborating on the screenplay with Claire Parker, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless. This will be Clarkson’s feature film debut. 

Madame Web will unfold on the screen with Dakota Johnson taking on the title role. The ensemble cast includes Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim. The film swings into theaters on February 14. 

Source: Entertainment Weekly