'Spider-Man: Homecoming 2' Villain Could Be Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio

Spider-Man’s next enemy is quite the mystery. A new rumor indicates that 2019’s Spider-Man movie, the direct sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, may star Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, a master illusionist who keeps his face concealed behind a reflective domed helmet.

On Monday, rumors originating from British tabloid The Sun pointed to Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Nightcrawler) being close to landing the role of Mysterio in the next Spider-Man movie, another co-production between Disney-owned Marvel Studios and Sony. Deadline later confirmed Gyllenhaal is “in talks,” lending gravity to the speculation. The film is slated to commence filming in London later this summer.

Mysterio is a fan-favorite villain in Spidey’s rogues gallery who has not yet appeared in live-action, though he nearly did. Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) made cameo appearances in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and was goin to play Mysterio in what would have been Spider-Man 4. In the comics, Mysterio is Quentin Beck, a master Hollywood special effects wizard and illusionist who failed as an actor, leading him to use his talents to enter a life of crime. Much like the Vulture, Mysterio was one of Spidey’s first villains, appearing in issue #13 of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1964 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Although Mysterio has never appeared in live-action, he has made multiple appearances in animation and voiced by a number of different actors. He was recently played by comedian Paul Scheer (The League) in a Season 4 episode of Ultimate Spider-Man, which aired on Disney XD.

The next Spider-Man movie is scheduled for release on July 5, 2019.