Actress/Singer Zendaya has been set to join the cast in the new Sony Spider-Man reboot film, THR and Deadline both report. Perhaps best known for her role in the Disney Channel original series, SHAKE IT UP!, Zendaya is supposedly playing the character Michelle, Deadline is stating. However, the THR report doesn’t back up the name claim, and some other outlets are speculating that Michelle is just a codename for the real character. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s the case.

Either way, both are reporting that Zendaya will indeed be joining the cast, and that her role will likely not be as a love interest. In addition to this news, we’ve learned in a tweet from THR writer Borys Kit that Marvel and Sony are making have been making an extra effort to surround Parker with a non-white cast. The casting of Zendaya definitely seems to confirm that claim.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding this Spider-Man reboot. Ever since we’ve heard news that Tom Holland and Marisa Tomei would be starring in this Jon Watts-directed picture, things have gone radio silent. No doubt, Sony is sitting on their hands until the character gets his big reveal in the upcoming CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. As such, we have no real clues about the plot. All we really know is that it will revolve around a high school-aged Peter Parker.

As that’s all we have to go on, we shouldn’t really even begin to speculate who Zendaya will be playing. That being said, I’m going to do it anyway. It’s very possible that they’re setting her up as supporting character Michele Gonzales (though this name does have one less “l” in her name), who was introduced back in 2009. Michele is a character who lives with Peter for the time, and becomes sort of a wishy-washy love interest. If they were to go this route, I doubt they’d even touch on that aspect of their relationship in the next film. Chances are, they’ll just have her in a secondary role, but if Sony is truly playing the long game, maybe in a decade or so, they can add in that relationship issue down the line.

But what do you think of Zendaya being cast in the film? Any guesses as to who the actress will be playing if Michelle is indeed a codename? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!

The untitled Spider-Man reboot will hit theaters on July 7, 2017.

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SOURCE: THR, Deadline, Borys Kit