Issa Rae, the American actor, joined the cast of the sequel to the 2018 animated superhero film Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse.
She will be lending her voice to the character Jessica Drew, who is also known as Spider-Woman.
In an earlier interview with Variety, Rae said “Since the third grade, I’ve loved Spider-Man, comic books, memorabilia, everything.”
The Emmy Award-nominated actor is best known for her role in the HBO Max comedy-drama series Insecure. Rae also co-created the show. She is currently filming the fifth and final season of the series.
Rae is also serving as the executive producer of the TV series A Black Lady Sketch Show. She is working on a docuseries for HBO titled Seen & Heard. Her production company Hoorae is developing Perfect Strangers, which is an adaptation of the 2016 Italian film Perfetti Sconosciuti.
According to the The Hollywood Reporter, Rae is the latest addition to the cast of the Spider-Verse franchise. She joins Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld who are reprising their roles as Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy respectively.
Recommended
According to Variety, Kemp Powers, Justin K Thompson and Joaquim Dos Santos will be directing the upcoming sequel. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham will be writing the screenplay. The film will be produced by Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Christina Steinberg. Peter Ramsey, who directed the first film, will serve as the executive producer alongside Aditya Sood.
The details of the plot have not been disclosed. However, the casting of Rae’s character opens up the door to the possibility of exploring new storylines. In the Marvel comics, Jessica hails from the fictional eastern European country of Transia which houses the Wundagore Mountains. Until now, this region has not officially featured in any of the Marvel films and TV series.
The sequel to Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is slated to release on October 7, 2022.