James Gunn addresses Spider-Man casting controversy Earlier this week, it was revealed that Disney Channel star Zendaya will be playing none other than Mary Jane Watson in Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios‘ highly-anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Spider-Man casting reveal caused quite a lot of discussion from fans who either supported the choice or were very much against it. Guardians of the Galaxy films director James Gunn took notice and addressed the controversy on his Facebook page, posting: People get upset when something they consider intrinsic to a comic book character changes when adapted for a film.