Do We Have the Next Mary Jane Watson?

Who’s thinking about blockbusters as movies like Argo and The Master are in the theaters? Well, I’ll tell you who. I am. Luckily there’s no shortage of news keeping our dreams filled with big budgets and comic book adaptations. The Hollywood Reporter has… well, reported that Sony has offered Shailene Woodley (“The Secret Life of an American Teenager,” The Descendants) the coveted role of Mary Jane Watson in the sequel to this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

It’s too early to tell if she’ll be good for the role, but with how well cast the first installment was, we trust the good folks at Marvel and Sony. Woodley was widely expected to snag a nomination for an Oscar last year because of her performance in The Descendants, but that didn’t happen. She did receive nods for best supporting actress at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards though. So I suppose her acting abilities aren’t in question.

The biggest question mark for Woodley lies in the difference between her past performances and the Mary Jane character from the Spider-Man comics. If the producers decide to go for the girl next-door approach of the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire trilogy, then Woodley makes perfect sense. But Mary Jane was originally out of Peter’s league, popular, beautiful and a bit too high maintenance for the guy, who was head over heels for the bookworm bombshell, Gwen. Sure Mary Jane was a good friend and of course her and Peter’s relationship changes. So it’s a tough balance for screenwriter’s Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, as well as Director Marc Webb to decipher.

The fact that there is even a conversation as to whether or not Woodley is the right decision shows how a few months has made us forget The Amazing Spider-Man. That film surpassed most people’s expectations and quelled the fears that there wasn’t enough time between Spider-Man 3 and the reboot. We’ll be following the Woodley development and other casting news closely. Less than two years until we’re back to web-slinging!