The announcement came today via press release from Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures that stone will play Gwen Stacy in Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot, and not Mary Jane Watson as was previously rumored.
Said Tolmach of the announcement:
“It’s been an incredible journey for us to watch Emma’s star rise as an actress. She is extraordinarily talented and has a very special on-screen spark that is perfect for this role. Given her history with the studio, casting her in one of our most important franchises is a real thrill.”
Marc Webb added:
"The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice. At the heart of the story of Peter Parker is not only the amazing Spider-Man, but also an ordinary teenager who is wondering what he has to do to get the girl. Andrew and Emma will bring everything audiences expect to these roles, but also make them their own. Much to my surprise, it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde.”
Stone has previously stared in
Superbad, The House Bunny, and
Zombieland, all for Columbia Pictures; she can currently be seen in
Easy A.
So, I assume she will be dying her hair anyway! See the full press release by clicking the link below. So we know the female lead will be Gwen Stacy, does that mean MJ won't be in the movie at all? Rumors point to the contrary, but we shall see I guess.
Update: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mary Jane won't be appearing in this movie.
Apparently the casting process involved looking for actresses for both characters and the studio was really into Stone for both characters. But as the search elongated, Columbia decided to focus on the more important role, Stacy.
According to sources, Mary Jane will not appear in the first movie.
This goes against the previous reports of two female leads, but there you go. Seems more likely to me.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.