LOS ANGELES — XBIZ award-winning performer Kenna James has been cast as Mary Jane Watson, the female lead in "Spideypool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody" from Wicked Pictures.
James played a key role in Braun's 2018 feature "The Possession of Mrs. Hyde" and agreed to cut her hair and dye it red to match Watson's signature locks from the comic books.
Braun noted an open casting call produced "a huge turnout."
"Seventy-one girls submitted audition videos for Mary Jane and a lot of them were very good," he said. "But Kenna’s submission was on a whole different level; there was no question that the role had to be hers."
James said that changing her hair was "a no-brainer."
"I'm deeply honored to have been chosen to play Mary Jane; it just blows my mind that out of so many actresses, Axel picked me. My peers within the industry are very good at what they do; we have so many talented people, and I don’t take it lightly that I was given this amazing opportunity. Also, I've been a huge Spider-Man fan my entire life, so the chance to play this role for an Axel Braun parody is absolutely a dream come true."
Braun's most recent parody for the Wicked Comix imprint earned eight nominations from the 2022 XBIZ Awards, including "Feature Movie of the Year," "Best Art Direction" and "Best Screenplay."
While the search for a male performer to play Spider-Man is ongoing, Seth Gamble will return to the role of Deadpool. He has earned both a 2019 XBIZ Award for the part and another nod this year for reprising the character in "Black Widow XXX."
"Seth has always been, and will continue to be, one of my favorite performers to work with,” James enthused. “He has this uncanny ability to morph in such a wide variety of roles, but I gotta say that nothing compares to him as Deadpool. He’s crazy, hilarious and totally unpredictable. I can’t wait to see what he does with this fantastic script."
Gamble echoed her enthusiasm, noting that he cast James in his directorial debut, "The Red Room," which Braun produced.
“Kenna was an inspired choice,” he said. “She’s an amazing actress, and she has great comedic timing. Did I mention that she’s also super-hot? No? Well, she is ridiculously hot, and for sure the sexiest Mary Jane Watson ever seen in a live-action film. Axel showed me her audition, and all I could say was ‘Holy shit!’ Yeah, it was that good. I'm stoked to share the screen with her in this project and looking forward to some epic awesomeness."
Braun, who also serves as head of production for Wicked, revealed that James has already begun filming; principal photography is set to continue through December and January.
“Kenna is one-of-a-kind. The positive energy she brings to the set is priceless; she always has a smile on her face, and it’s a wonderful one. She’s also a real trooper, ready and willing to go above and beyond for a project, which is a huge deal for me, and, at the risk of stating the obvious, she is drop-dead gorgeous, sexy as hell and a top-notch performer, so it’s no surprise that I am beyond happy to have her in this movie."
The performer said that taking on a lead role in one of Braun's films has been a bucket list goal.
"He’s such a pro, but still keeps plenty of humor and levity on set. So far this experience has been everything I’d hoped it would be and a bit more," she added. "I can’t thank him enough for this opportunity."
"Spideypool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody" will premiere in 2022 exclusively on Wicked.com; follow Wicked, Braun, Gamble and James on Twitter.
