“You say goodbye, but I say Helloooo?”
Hollywoodlife.com has an article up today discussing the reasons why Shailene Woodley’s role as Mary Jane was cut from the upcoming sequel to ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ which just wrapped up 100 days of shooting in New York.
The website cites a source “close to the production” (but then what rumor doesn’t do that?) in explaining the reason why Mary Jane’s scenes were cut from the picture.
More below the break, including potential spoilers (well one rather large one) that fans have already been discussing and which should already be mostly evident if you know your Spider-history.
According to Hollywoodlife.com, MJ was cut from the film to give more room to the death of Gwen Stacy:
Emma Stone’s character dies in the next film and that really would take a bunch out of the film if Spider-Man all the sudden starts dating a new girl so close to an important characters death. They were noticing this occurring as they filmed Shailene’s scenes. They want to make the death of Gwen Stacy really mean something and then it will leave room for Shailene to shine in the third film.
Note that this would jive with Woodley’s initial statement, which said the removal of Mary Jane was story-related. Also note that Hollywoodlife.com’s source indicates that Woodley is still involved in the third film playing Mary Jane. Despite the recent rumor (later proven false) that Canadian actress Sarah Gadon would be taking over the role of Spider-Man’s redheaded girlfriend there has not yet been any official confirmation from the filmmakers as to whether or not Woodley would return for the third picture. She’s about to have a lot on her plate, including another multi-part film franchise, so her responsibilities to other projects may not mesh with Sony’s timetable for the sequels.
We’ll see! Either way this rumor, if true, is not much different from the speculation already swirling around Gwen and her role in the sequel. Her costume in some scenes has also lead to further speculation.
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I’m seriously disappointed by this if MJ is absent from ASM 2 and Gwen dies. You’re removing the love tiangle aspect first of all and second of all the fact that MJ and Gwen were friends was a big part of Mj’s character arc and about the aftermath of Gwen’s death with her and Peter dating. This is more cmparable to the Dark Knight trilogy where the hero’s girlfriend fies in the sequel and then the new girlfriend (Catwoman) was introduced in the thrid movie. I think it would’ve been best if they introduced MJ here, killed off Gwen in #3 and then had him eventually date MJ in #4
@8 I’ll take that as a compliment!
And I am not CrazyChris, but I have seen every episode of Law & Order and every spin-off (even Trial by Jury) so I am a pretty good law-talking dude.
While I understand them not wanting Pete to start dating MJ so soon, it doesn’t mean they can’t introduce her as a character. I really wanted to see MJ, Flash, Pete, Gwen, and Harry hang out at the Coffee Bean…
I spoke to a source close to the movie production and while he couldn’t tell me any details, he did say that this movie will be a lot bigger than expected….maybe more villains…maybe The Sinister Six.
@#8 Who are you? CrazyChris? 😉
@5 Even if she died from a broken neck, he did knock her off the bridge. If you commit a robbery and during the commission of that robbery someone gets killed, it’s reckless endangerment of human life – Murder Two (thank you, Law & Order). So I think it’s safe to say that Norman is guilty of the murder of Gwen Stacey in the comics.
If in the movie Norman creates Electro and/or the Rhino and one/both of them ends up killing Gwen, I still wouldn’t say that Norman killed her. That would be some straining to do some explaining.
@#5 Preach! That is exactly what needs to happen.
On a side note, I’m fine if Shailene Woodley is still playing Mary Jane, despite the age difference between her and Andrew Garfield. She is a fantastic actress and a beautiful young woman. I definitely like her more than Kirsten Dunst, to be quite honest.
If Norman Osborn is somehow responsible for the creation of Electro and Rhino, and it’s their actions that result in Gwen’s death, then Norman is still to blame. He didn’t even kill Gwen in the comics. Technically, Peter did it, albeit by accident, but Norman set her death in motion.
By the time the Goblin killed Gwen there was a LOT of history between not only the Goblin and Spidey but between Norman and Peter. In the comics there is not that much history between Electro and Spidey beyond “Electro wants to commit a crime, Spidey stops him”, and no history at all between Max and Peter.
I understand they can do different things with the characters in the movie, but considering any death of Gwen in the movies will be compared to her death in the comics, I think they have to make her death (*if* they kill her) something big, something worthy. Having Electro be introduced in the 2nd movie and kill Gwen would be like the burglar killing Uncle Ben and Peter turns to Spider-Man to go catch him but by the time he gets to the ACME warehouse the police have already captured him. Kinda anti-climatic.
I actually won’t mind if it is Electro that kills Gwen. Granted, it would have to be done well, but I can honestly see it. I think it’s an interesting idea.
I don’t know, I just can’t see them having Gwen die in this movie storyline at the hands of Spidey’s arch-enemy … Electro. I think they would want to have her die (if they plan to kill her) at the hands of the Goblin. Even though the first Raimi film had Norman tossing Spidey’s girlfriend off the bridge, they probably don’t want to repeat that. Maybe they’ll do something different from the bridge, but I don’t see her killer being someone besides Norman.