Shailene Woodley’s work in “The Descendants” was a revelation, and a major announcement for her as a talent to watch. Since then, she has not been in overkill media hype mode, which is nice. She went back to the TV show she stars in and she has, no doubt, been reading and meeting people and looking for the next thing she’d do.
Playing Mary Jane Watson in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” sounds like a pretty good gig.
Variety is reporting that Woodley is in early talks to play the part, and she would be joining returning stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, no doubt complicating the easy chemistry they displayed in the first film. Woodley seems much younger than Garfield, but I’m sure they’ve put them together at this point if they’re getting close to hiring her, and returning director Marc Webb must be happy with what he’s seen.
The trade’s Jeff Sneider also says that Electro is rumored to be either the primary villain in the movie or one of several. I’m on the record as not being the biggest fan of the first film, but I think there were things there worth building on, and it all ultimately depends on what story new writers Kurtzman and Orci choose to tell.
More than anything, I want people to start taking chances with formula as they make these new superhero films. We’ve seen a lot of the same, and I think filmmakers have gotten pretty good overall at pulling off the sort of moments and imagery that need to exist to make these films really special. Now it’s time for people to start breaking rules and trying adventurous things within the safety of a studio franchise. I think the audience needs it if they’re going to keep turning out for the films, and I think it’s a natural evolution. For a long time, it seemed like even telling the most rudimentary comic book story well was a skill set that Hollywood couldn’t master. Technology certainly played a part in getting it right, but it’s also a matter of filmmakers getting savvier about the broader superhero genre.
We’ll see how the rest of the cast looks fairly soon, I’m guessing, as Sony needs to make their choices now so the film can get underway.
After all, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is set for release on May 2, 2014.