We’ve known it for months. He’s known it for longer. The film has finished shooting. But it’s never been officially confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal will be playing the villainous Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home – until now. The actor used his arrival on Instagram to confirm his role (despite being papped on set in his costume), sharing a video of himself flicking through the Mysterio-heavy Amazing Spider-Man issue #311, lowering the comic with a shocked face and exclaiming “Woah… what the f-?” in a neat mirror of Homecoming’s brilliant closing scene. The caption reads: “I just realized I’m not playing Spider-Man.”
Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio – a special effects and illusions expert who uses his talents to confound the web-slinger’s Spidey senses – will mark the first big-screen incarnation of the classic villain, and he’s sure to cause some nuisance for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Assuming – INFINITY WAR SPOILER WARNING – the kid’s no longer just a pile of dust, that is. Hey, he’s having a rough year. Far From Home will kick off Phase 4 of the MCU just a couple of months after Avengers 4 hits the big screen, and will set Parker and his friends globe-trotting – the film was shot in the likes of London, Prague and Venice, so it seems a class trip to Europe may be on the cards for the wall-crawler.
What remains to be seen is how Far From Home will be promoted, with Spider-Man’s longevity hingeing on events set to occur in the ultra-secret Avengers 4. Will we actually get to see Gyllenhaal officially in costume in the coming months? Considering how long it’s taken for him to officially confirm his character, we’re not getting our hopes up for that anytime soon. Spider-Man: Far From Home is due to swing into cinemas on 5 July 2019.
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