It doesn’t seem like anyone can figure out whether Shailene Woodley will be a part of The Amazing Spider-Man franchise or not. Not the media, not the producers, and probably not even Woodley herself. We first heard that the actress was being pushed back to The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but then there was word that Mary Jane was being recast. Now producer Avi Arad is making it sound as if Woodley will indeed be in the third film’s cast, while Marc Webb is remaining non-committal.
When asked about Woodley, both Arad and Webb made comments. First, check out what Arad had to say.
“We miss Shailene, I Know you all understand that the story got two big to have two girls. We always get complaints that there’s too much of this, too much of that. So we thought it was the right thing to wait for it. The next movie will be in three years, we love this girl, and time will tell.”
And what Webb had to say on the matter?
“We haven’t crossed that bridge, we have to finish this movie first.”
There’s no doubt that the second film was going to be crowded if a love triangle was part of the plot. Peter is already going to have enough on his plate with Electro, Rhino, the Osborns, and dating Gwen. Having to deal with introducing Mary Jane could lead to a 3+ hour movie. Also, to properly deal with the death of Gwen Stacy, more time is needed before Peter is flirting with other girls. At most, MJ should be introduced in a minor way in TASM2, before being fully fleshed out in the third installment.
Then, of course, there’s the discussion of whether Woodley is still the right actress to play the part. Would Webb be better off going with Sarah Gadon? Or should he choose Michael B. Jordan, which is what Andrew Garfield would like?
Personally, I think Woodley is a talented actress and very capable of playing the part, but the one concern I would have is the age difference. Woodley looks a lot younger than Garfield does, so it may seem awkward for them to be a couple. At least much more awkward than going with someone like Gadon who looks to be closer to Garfield’s age. All that being said, if Webb decides to stay with Woodley or move to someone else, I’m confident he’s making the right decision. Webb is one of very few directors that I have complete faith in in terms of casting given that he’s never been anything other than spot-on. There’s no reason that impeccable record won’t continue with Mary Jane.
What do you think of Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane. Do you want to see her in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.