Donald Glover to Play D-List Spider-Man Villain Hypno-Hustler in New Sony Film

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The post Donald Glover to Play D-List Spider-Man Villain Hypno-Hustler in New Sony Film appeared first on Consequence.

Donald Glover is finally fulfilling his Spider-Man dreams by starring in a new film about [checks notes] the Hypno-Hustler.

Yes, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor/writer/director/musician has signed on to star in and producer a movie centered around the D-list Spidey villain. The latest addition to Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, the project is to be penned by Myles Murphy, son of the great Eddie Murphy.

For someone who had a long-public desire to play the Web-Slinger himself, settling for such an obscure character sure seems like a strange move. Created in 1978, Hypno-Hustler’s real name is Antoine Delsoin, the frontman of a disco band called Mercy Killers. With his hypnotic guitar, he can hypnotize his robbery victims for an easy crime. He also has knockout gas and hidden knives in his boots, for some reason.

Weird as the character may be, Glover was apparently attracted to the character’s musical elements. Plus, the fact that he’s such a minor part of Marvel’s history means Glover and Murphy have a freer rein on how they adapt Hypno-Hustler. As THR notes, that could mean sticking to the disco roots, updating it for a hip-hop audience, or even going the cyberpunk future route. Considering Glover’s pedigree (including the final seasons of his Atlanta series landing on our Top TV Shows of 2022 list), it’s hard to imagine his take won’t won’t at least be interesting.

Over the years, Glover has been tied to a number of Spider-Man projects. He campaigned to star in the Amazing Spider-Man films (a role eventually going to Andrew Garfield), and voiced Miles Morales in the 2015 Disney XD animated series Ultimate Spider-Man. He’s actually also a part of the MCU Spidey story, cameoing in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Morales’ uncle, a.k.a Aaron Davis, a.k.a. The Prowler.

The Hypno-Hustler project is Sony’s latest move to cash in on the more tangential Spider-Man characters whose rights they still own. That includes the Venom series and that meme-able Morbius movie. Other upcoming or in-development movies include Kraven the Hunter with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (October 6th, 2023), Madame Web with Dakota Johnson (February 16th, 2024), and El Muerto with Bad Bunny (January 12th, 2024). They also have the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse arriving next year on June 2nd.

Meanwhile, MGM+ and Prime Video recently announced a new series of Spider-Man TV shows set to launch with Silk: Spider Society from showrunner Angela Kang.

Donald Glover to Play D-List Spider-Man Villain Hypno-Hustler in New Sony Film
Ben Kaye

Popular Posts

Subscribe to Consequence’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.