Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacey. It’s that simple.
Oh, alright; I know that the much-maligned (and with good reason) Spider-Man 3 brought Gwen Stacey into the movies, but despite Bryce Dallas Howard’s best attempts, she was only ever a prop to make Mary Jane jealous and show that Peter wasn’t acting properly, and that’s not who Gwen should be; Gwen was – and, in the Ultimate universe that Marc Webb’s new movie is supposedly drawing from, still is – a legitimate rival for Peter’s affections, even though MJ is her friend. And now, according to Entertainment Weekly, that soap opera staple looks set to make it into the new movie, with actresses trying out for both MJ and Gwen.
I admit, I was skeptical about the need to reboot a movie franchise less than a decade old – even though Spider-Man 3 did make Sam Raimi’s reign look a little tired and in need of a rest – but the more news that gets released about the reboot, the more cautiously excited I’m getting. Andrew Garfield is a great choice for Peter, able to play socially awkward but heroic easily, as anyone who’s seen The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus can attest, and Webb himself showed impressive chops in 500 Days of Summer. With EW now claiming that Zombieland‘s Emma Stone and Alice in Wonderland‘s Mia Wasikowska are leading the race to play MJ and Gwen respectively, the cast list seems to be shaping up into something impressive; all we need is Patricia Clarkson as Aunt May and we’ll be in business. Now, if only they can make a reboot that doesn’t waste too much time retelling an origin story we’re all very familiar with…
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