Jake Gyllenhaal has confirmed his casting in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal

The 37-year-old actor was reported to have signed on for the movie six months ago and it was speculated he'd be playing evil magician Mysterio, with on set footage later adding fuel to the speculation, and now the Oscar-nominated star has used his first ever Instagram post to reveal his role.

He shared a video of himself reading a 'Spider-Man' comic called 'The Return of the Man Called Mysterio', which was initially covering his face, but he then lowered the magazine so his open-mouthed expression could be seen and then exclaimed: "Woah. What the f..."

He captioned the post: "I just realized I'm not playing Spider-Man."

It was previously claimed Jake had gone up against Ryan Gosling to play the villain opposite Tom Holland as the titular webslinger, in what will be his second standalone film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A source said: "Producers were keen to sign Ryan but he was busy filming another project. Jake is a suitable alternative with experience of playing villainous characters."

Mysterio made his first appearance issue #13 of comic book 'The Amazing Spider-Man' in 1964 and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the men responsible for giving Spider-Man to the world.

The original Mysterio is Quentin Beck, a special effects wizard and stunt man working for a major Hollywood studio who uses his expertise to pursue a life of crime after failing in his ambitions to become a rich and famous actor. There have been three different incarnations of the character since the original.

The movie is due for release in July 2019.