I hated the casting of Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. She’s a perfectly capable actress, but her gangly awkwardness was nothing like the supermodel MJ that us comic book geeks knew. MJ is supposed to look out of Peter’s league, that was part of the whole charm of their relationship.
Plus, Dunst’s tiny baby teeth creep me the hell out. Google them and know despair!
With Marc Webb’s latest reboot already improving on Peter Parker’s casting tenfold, I was hoping they’d do the same for MJ. Get a tall, leggy redhead. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently so.
Variety is reporting that The Descendants starlet Shailene Woodley is currently talks with Sony to play MJ, and while she is definitely a step up from Dunst in terms of actually looking like the character she’s playing, she’s still not quite there yet (Jane Levy would have got my vote). That being said, you can’t really question her on-screen credentials, with her breakthrough turn in The Descendants earning her a string of well deserved award nominations and wins.
With MJ being introduced this early though, it may not bode too well for Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy [SPOILER WARNING FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW YOUR SPIDER-MAN COMIC BOOK HISTORY] because in the comics, Gwen famously died at the hands of Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin before Peter starts up a relationship with MJ.
The only thing that sheds some hope on Gwen’s survival rate is that Variety is also reporting that while the studios are looking for a casting for Harry Osborn (Norman’s son and Peter’s best friend and eventual enemy, played by James Franco in the Raimi version) as well, his schizophrenic pumpkin-tossing dad is not showing up yet (Please note: Pumpkin-tossing is not a sexual euphemism).
Many initially thought that the shadowy figure speaking to Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) at the end of Amazing Spider-Man was actually Norman Osborn, but that notion was summarily dispelled by Ifans earlier in the year. Instead, Variety suggests that that was actually Max Dillon aka Electro and that he will be the sequel’s main villain. Though you never get to see his face in that scene the mysterious figure was played by Michael Massee, a veteran actor who has made a name for himself playing villains in various TV series through the years (and also gained infamy as the man who fired the handgun in the accidental fatal shooting of Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow).
I’d actually say that he’d be perfect as Electro, as he’d bring just the right mix of gravitas and insanity to the role to make it work, but the fact that he is already pushing 60 may just count against him.
So who would you guys like to see Spidey go toe-to-toe with in the sequel, or would you you be happy with the electrifying Electro? And do you have another young redhead in mind for Mary Jane?
Last Updated: October 11, 2012
Nick de Bruyne
October 11, 2012 at 16:16
I’ve always been a massive fan of MJ… that is, until Dunst came along and destroyed her for me. That said, I was a massive fan of Emma Stone (hipsters glasses on) long before most people even knew who she was. So like… can’t we just keep Gwen Stacy around for another movie… or have MJ look EXACTLY the same and just cast Stone again?
But on that note, I think your pick of Jane Levy would actually be problematic for that same reason that she actually also looks too damn much like Stone that I legitimately thing that audiences could get confused.
I dunno this Woodley character much (havent seen Descendants yet), but again as a big MJ fan who got burnt with Dunsts half-closed eyes and my-life-sucks-balls attitude, I am sceptical, but in need of some mind-changing.
Amanda Righetti from the Mentalist maybe? I think she may be a little too old for the role by now though.
WernerE
October 11, 2012 at 16:27
Spot on with Dunst, she made me cringe every time she was on screen.
Ultimo_Cleric
October 11, 2012 at 16:46
Nice boobs though. Just saying…..
WernerE
October 11, 2012 at 17:52
Yes, those were her only assets to the film
Kervyn Cloete
October 11, 2012 at 20:20
I’d also love to see Debrah Ann Wohl have a crack at MJ.