Spider-Man: Homecoming won't have Michael Keaton as the villain

Yesterday we learned that Robert Downey Jr. has signed up to appear as Iron Man in the rebooted Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first of several rumored MCU characters making the leap to the Sony-funded flick. Well, as the saying goes, you win some, you lose some. The addition of Senor Stark is definitely a win for Peter Parker's solo outing - but it had consequences. We've lost Michael Keaton's villain. 

Keaton was in early discussions for the part, that's rumored to be classic Spidey villain Vulture. Back when The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was still a possibility, Vulture was expected to be that movie's central baddie, so there's clearly something about him that the studio feels is destined for the big screen treatment. Bearing in mind Keaton's recent career upswing, it's a damn shame that we won't see the former Bruce Wayne switch to the dark side. 

According to Variety's film reporter Justin Kroll, it came down to cold hard cash. Sony 's budget was pushed to breaking point when Robert Downey Jr. became loosely connected to the film. There was just no way the studio could afford both high-profile actors, and so Keaton dropped out. Although he does add that this same thing happened with Mickey Rourke on Iron Man 2, so there's still hope...

Directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier and Zendaya, Spider-Man: Homecoming will swing into US theaters on July 7, 2017, and UK cinemas on July 28, 2017.

Images: Warner Bros./Fox Searchlight Pictures