Marisa Tomei is in talks to play Spider-Man's Aunt May.

The 50-year-old American actress - whose previous film credits include 'My Cousin Vinny' and 'What Women Want' - is wanted by Marvel and Sony to star as the aunt who raised Peter Parker in their next installment of the 'Spider-Man' franchise.

The Oscar-winning star was made an offer late last week to appear alongside Tom Holland, who was recently handed the coveted role of the iconic superhero, Variety reports.

But while Tom is expected to make a cameo appearance in the eagerly-awaited 'Captain America: Civil War', it seems unlikely that Marisa - assuming she accepts the offer - will feature on screen so soon.

Last month, meanwhile, Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, admitted the new Spider-Man will be inspired by the work of director John Hughes, who helmed 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'.

Kevin said: ''It's the soap opera in high school, and those supporting characters, that are interesting.

''Just as we hadn't seen a heist movie in a long time, or a shrinking movie in a long time, we haven't seen a John Hughes movie in a long time.

''Not that we can make a John Hughes movie - only John Hughes could - but we're inspired by him, and merging that with the superhero genre in a way we haven't done before excites us.''