Variety has reported that Shailene Woodley is in talks to play Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opposite Andrew Garfield. Woodley is perhaps most famous for her lead role in the teen drama TV show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager (which ends next spring) as well as her role opposite George Clooney in The Descendants.
I don’t know that she really looks the part but if there’s one thing Marc Webb has done perfectly in the two movies that he’s directed, it’s casting. While she may seem an unlikely choice, if she is cast then I have no doubts she’ll bring something new and refreshing to make us forget about Kirsten Dunst, who played the role in the previous franchise.
Woodley can next be seen in Gregg Araki’s White Bird as well as James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now.
The studio is also reportedly looking for an actor to play Harry Osborn (who was played by James Franco in the previous movies), which means that it’s likely we’ll finally be introduced to Marc Webb’s version of Norman Osborn too, after teasing him in the first movie.
In addition, Electro is rumored to be one of those being considered as the film’s main villain (assuming there’s only one). This isn’t completely surprising as many fans had speculated it was him in the post-credits scene of the first movie.
The movie is expected to continue with ‘the untold story’ involving Peter Parker’s parents and will probably tie into Electro and the Osbornes in some way. At the same time, it’s also been suggested that Emma Stone’s character, Gwen Stacy, might meet her comic-book counterpart’s fate in the movie.
In the comics, the Green Goblin killed Gwen Stacy and Peter had turned to Mary Jane for comfort. Whatever happens, I’m definitely interested in seeing what the chemistry will be like between Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker and Mary Jane (regardless of who plays her).
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is planned for release in spring 2014.
What do you think, would Shailene Woodley be a good Mary Jane? And who would you like to see play the potential parts of Harry Osborn and Electro? Let us know in the comments.
