Home Entertainment MJ's casting and Gwen Stacy's fate confirmed for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

MJ's casting and Gwen Stacy's fate confirmed for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

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What’s the statute of limitations when it comes to spoilers? Because surely a widely known comic book storyline that happened 40 years ago, is up for open discussion by now? If not, then you may want to just read the first bit of this article and not click any further.

Oscar nominated The Descendants star Shailene Woodley has been confirmed as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and… Well, this is the part where you go find something else to do. I suggest sudoku.

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You seriously think I’m a SPOILER in a skintight red and blue suit?

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With great SPOILERS come great responsibility!

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Oh no! You have found my weakness. Small SPOILERS!

Along with the news of young Ms Woodley’s casting in the spidery franchise also came the revelation from The Hollywood Reporter that she was looking to star in a big screen adaptation of hit YA novel, Divergent. This was news we had also reported on last week. But hidden in all THR’s talk about rebellious teenagers in a dystopian future America bla bla bla, was one rather innocent seeming line that actually has some major ramifications. According to the publication, Woodley’s role in Amazing Spider-Man 2 would be pretty minor “but blossoms into an integral lead for the planned third movie as the studio seeks to build to the classic ‘Death of Gwen Stacy’ story.”

And as you recall – well, I’m guessing you recall, as you clicked pass my earlier warning and thus are assumed to know this already – in the classic 1973 Spider-Man story, the Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen Stacy and throws her off the Brooklyn Bridge. Spidey stops her fall with his webs, but the whiplash snaps her neck, killing her. It’s a great and tragic story and something that Gwen Stacy actress Emma Stone has been calling for since August. She explained to Interview magazine back then, why she wanted her own character killed off:

“Essentially the argument is that Spider-Man kills her by accident. So the person she loves is the person who kills her, which is the most horrifying thing. Apparently people unsubscribed to the comic book when that happened because they were just so flipped-out over it. But, of course, I want to stay true to that.”

Kudos to Ms Stone for that and kudos to Sony for having the cajones to go through with this. My only problem is that I kinda really don’t want to see Green Goblin on screen again. I understand that not featuring Norman Osborn – Spidey’s greatest nemesis – might seem like sacrilege to some, but we already had a major problem with the supposed reboot rehashing the same material as Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, so I’d like something different (especially considering the Lizard, the bad guy in ASM1, was also a lab coat wearing scientist who turned himself into a monster by experimenting on himself due to pressure from his bosses).

As to what that something different would be? Well, Spider-Man has a rather extensive rogue’s gallery, so finding a replacement shouldn’t be difficult. I’ve always liked the idea that Raimi was supposedly going to use for Spider-Man 4 before it got railroaded, to use John Malkovich as a really badass version of the Vulture.

If they really, really have to go with Green Goblin though, then please ditch the cackling, glider riding, Santa’s helper reject and do the hulking, menacing Green Goblin found in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. Now that would be amazing.

Last Updated: October 22, 2012

8 Comments

  1. I am so happy that they are going to kill Gwen Stacy! I got into an arguement about this with someone else the other day. I really don’t want Green Goblin in the movie. Like you said, we already have had him in recent years, and Spiderman has a whole range of villains to choose from.

    One thing I hate is when comic book movies don’t stay true to the comics. Staying true to the comics isn’t about doing things the same way, its about keeping characters the same and staying true to the spirit of those characters and the comic in general. They don’t have to have the Goblin kill Gwen, but they must have her die. Likewise, the new MJ better be a flirt, shallow, extremely outgoing, and she must figure out that Peter Parker is Spiderman very quickly without him knowing. Thats the only thing that explains the way their relationship was the whole time. After the last movie, I have very high hopes for the next one 😀

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      October 22, 2012 at 16:09

      I wouldn’t say she should be shallow, but definitely more of the super-popular hot girl, than that awkward, gangly, emo MJ we got in Raimi’s movies.

      Reply

    • James Francis

      October 23, 2012 at 10:11

      “One thing I hate is when comic book movies don’t stay true to the comics.”

      Man, you must hate practically all of them…

      Reply

  2. James Francis

    October 23, 2012 at 10:10

    After seeing the reboot, I’ll wager you need not worry about spoilers. The plot and character development was the furthest from their minds when they made that film. Did anyone notice that Spider-man is now schizo? He goes from absolutely morbid teenager to wisecracking smart-ass the second he’s in the suit. I am actually convinced that maybe Peter Parker and Spidey aren’t the same people…

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      October 23, 2012 at 11:28

      But that is actually 100% what Spidey is like in the comics. He’s always turned into a wise-cracking smartass the moment he put on the mask. That is one thing they got completely right.

      Reply

      • James Francis

        October 23, 2012 at 13:32

        Except that he didn’t even make wise-cracks while he was simply masked with regular clothes. The first appearance of the wisecracks is when he confronts his uncle’s killer in the car. Too jarring and the result of one incredibly lazy script.

        Reply

        • Kervyn Cloete

          October 23, 2012 at 14:18

          But like I said, that is completely in keeping with the character of the comics. Well, technically not the character right now, but certainly in the past.

          Reply

          • James Francis

            October 23, 2012 at 15:40

            I’m not really debating whether it is how the character in the comic operates. Instead, I’m highlighting the sloppy filmmaking. The new Spider-man reminded me a lot of Hulk when Edward Norton had the lead: sloppy, lazy and stitched together.

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