Michael Keaton Out, Robert Downey Jr In For Spider-Man: Homecoming
So he's not playing Vulture then...
Despite apparently firm rumours that he was in talks to play the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Keaton is now out of the running, according to Deadline. He had been linked with either the rumoured Vulture role that's up for grabs, or as the more substantial primary villain of the piece, but it now seems he's fallen out of early talks and won't be part of the film at all.
So while Willem Dafoe is heading from Spider-Man to the Batman franchise, the one time Dark Knight won't be going the other way, barring a change of heart. It's a shame: Keaton has always been an incredibly interesting character actor and there's something about his uneasy charm that would work well for a straight-up comic book villain. Alas, we'll have to look elsewhere.
Meanwhile - as expected - Robert Downey Jr has signed on for the 2017 film. This comes after he told Jimmy Kimmel that his contract wasn't yet sorted, despite appearing in a promotional short at CinemaCon alongside Tom Holland and Marisa Tomei. Deadline seem to be suggesting that business is now sorted, and that he's probably not going to be the only superhero to make an appearance alongside Spidey.
So that's confirmation for everyone that IronMan survives Civil War then...
Are you excited by the addition of RDJ to Spider-Man: Homecoming? Who do you want to see replace Michael Keaton in the running to play the film's villain? Share your reactions below in the comments thread.