Marvel star Rosario Dawson has opened up about being cut out of juggernaut blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which would have brought back her long-dormant hero.
The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is on track for a record-shattering box office performance, sees Peter Parker (Tom Holland) struggling with loneliness as he confronts a surprising new threat.
Although his personal life is more isolated than ever, his vigilante alter-ego Spider-Man has been wholeheartedly embraced by the residents of New York City, who benefit most from his one-man crusade against crime.
Holland’s Spider-Man franchise has embraced the world of Marvel’s street-level NYC-set streaming shows, formerly co-produced by Netflix (but now on Disney+).
While 2021’s No Way Home featured a fleeting cameo from Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil), this sequel gifts a much larger supporting role to Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher – who originated in Daredevil season 2, before spinning off into a solo series of his own.
Brand New Day also features The Hand – a mystical ninja gang from the pages of Marvel Comics – who featured prominently in Netflix’s Daredevil and later crossover The Defenders. That said, the two depictions share little in common.
The connections to Marvel’s small-screen output almost extended even further, with Dawson revealing that she filmed a cameo appearance for Brand New Day – only to learn that it wouldn’t be included in the theatrical cut.
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The actor played Claire Temple in the streaming corner of the MCU – a version of the comic book hero Night Nurse – appearing in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to become a mutual acquaintance of all four Defenders.
Speaking at North Carolina fan event GalaxyCon, Dawson recalled how she almost added Spider-Man to Claire’s contact book in a Brand New Day appearance, but got “cut out” in a gutting twist of fate.
Dawson said (via Deadline): “I told my mum, and she was like, ‘That sucks. Now I can’t post the [behind the scenes] pictures!’
“And I was like, ‘Right mum, me being cut out of the movie that has, like, the largest viewership of a trailer ever, [and] the issue is you can’t post your BTS photos’.”
The actor, also known for Ahsoka and Sin City, said she had great respect for the superhero genre, stemming back to her uncle’s work as a comic book artist.
“The first character he learned to draw was Spider-Man,” revealed Dawson, which made the proposed role in Brand New Day a “really huge” gig for her, personally.
Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple in Daredevil. Netflix
She continued: “When I tell you my post was already ready, with my BTS [photos]! My grandson wearing all of his Spider-Man stuff because he loves Spider-Man.
“Then I got the email that was like, ‘Yeah, nah’. I’m a reject of Spider-Man!”
While Brand New Day may have slipped through her fingers at the last minute, Dawson assures that Claire “is somewhere in that same universe” and she hopes to play the role again one day.
The comments come amid a major resurgence for Marvel’s Netflix era characters, with the third season of Daredevil: Born Again seemingly set to reunite the full Defenders squad.
Finn Jones (Iron Fist) and Elodie Yung (Elektra) will reportedly feature in the next chapter of the Disney+ series, joining season 2 returnees Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and Mike Colter (Luke Cage). Is there room for one more?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now in cinemas.
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