Contrary to early reports, it looks like the new Peter Parker won’t be the meat in a two-lady sandwich. Redheaded love interest Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst in the previous three “Spider-Man” films, won’t factor into the new reboot of the character scheduled for 2012. Consider this good news for the purists who were upset that Mary Jane was considered Peter’s one-and-only in the previous Spidey adventures. In the comics, not only was the web-slinger far from a one-woman man, but he remained haunted by the passing of his first true love, Gwen Stacy. Once she died at the hands of the Green Goblin, however, he became a total and complete whore. Spoiler.
As evidence that Sam Raimi was shitcanned in favor of a by-committee approach, The Wrap’s report on this development seems to suggest Sony was more excited about the possibility of casting now-hot Emma Stone over actually having a locked-down script. Stone, known as a redhead, was being bounced around as a potential MJ, but when filmmakers opted for only one love interest, the kewpie “Easy A” star became the only option for the blonde Gwen Stacy.
So what do we know about this project? Sony is sticking to the comics in displaying the evolution of Parker’s love life by beginning with Gwen Stacy, but her tragic death is considered a touchstone in the comics. In the source material, she was felled by the Green Goblin, but it’s been confirmed that Spidey will fight Rhys Ifans‘ Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard. Is Stone’s Stacy long for this world? And will a billion dollars-worth of filmgoers be able to ignore that Stone is playing a character Bryce Dallas Howard already authored only a couple of years ago in “Spider-Man 3“?
“Spider-Man 3D” begins shooting in December with director Marc Webb from a James Vanderbilt script for a summer 2012 release, with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen and Sally Field. Also, you saw it back in 2002.
