UPDATE: Well, apparently, it looks like Shailene Woodley is out of the Spider-Man business altogether, as it seems the decision was made by director Marc Webb to keep the focus on Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy's releationship. According to THR, the actress is expected to be recast when they begin filming THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3. I'm sure this will be a blessing to many fans.
"I made a creative decision to streamline the story and focus on Peter and Gwen and their relationship," said Webb. "Shailene is an incredibly talented actress, and while we only shot a few scenes with Mary Jane, we all love working with her.”
Original Story:
Wow. Didn't see this one coming. Although, with the continued stack-up of characters filling the screentime of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, it's little wonder that something would have to give. However, I never would've thought that Mary Jane would be the one to take the bullet first. After Sony's announcement that they'd be steamrolling through two more Spidey films on the heels of the sequel, it looks like "big picture" ideas have come into play and seemingly nudged Shailene Woodley's Mary-Jane Watson out of the picture and into the next one. This comes on the heels of Felicity Jones basically admitting to playing the Black Cat in the film, who is another love interest of Peter Parker's in the comics.
The news comes from Entertainment Weekly's latest issue with a cover story on DIVERGENT, the YA adaptation that Woodley is starring in. When asked about her feelings on being pushed into the next film, the actress was ever the professional, saying:
"Of course I'm bummed. But I am a firm believer in everything happening for a specific reason…Based on the proposed plot, I completely understand the need for holding off on introducing [Mary Jane] until the next film."
I think this is probably a smart move. With so many characters filling up the film, it's best to save one of the more integral ones for part 3, especially if SPOILER happens. Mary Jane is such a major part of Spider-Man's life and it would be a shame to have her just shoehorned in with the rest of the massive cast. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm loving the ambition of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN reboot. I didn't care much for the first film, but it seems like they're really going for it, which could be truly great or an epic fail.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, Chris Cooper, Colm Feore, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Felicity Jones, B.J. Novak, and Shailene Woodley starts spinning its massive web on May 2, 2014.