Not a 'Secret Life': Shailene Woodley in Talks to Play Mary Jane Watson in 'Spider-Man' Sequel

Looks like Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is going to have some competition for Peter Parker's heart in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Shailene Woodley, best known for her role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, is in talks to play Mary Jane Watson. Woodley received rave reviews for her performance in last year's The Descendants, and many critics (myself included) felt that she was robbed of an Oscar nomination. With Secret Life wrapping up soon, the time is right for Woodley to move on to bigger roles, and there are few bigger roles than one of the girlfriends of Spider-Man.

The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted the Spider-Man cinematic mythology this summer, and while some faulted the film for touching upon similar points as Sam Raimi's trilogy did, the film that director Marc Webb and actor Andrew Garfield delivered was far superior to anything Raimi every did with the character. With Webb and Garfield both returning for the sequel, it's very promising to see another actress with real talent added to The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

UPDATE: Variety also has news on whether or not Harry Osborn will be featured in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and the shocking choice Webb may make for the film's villain.

In addition to Mary Jane Watson and an unspecified villain, the studio is seeking an actor to play Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's best friend and eventual enemy, who was played by James Franco in Sam Raimi's original trilogy that starred Kirsten Dunst as M.J. 

With production not starting until early next year, the studio still has plenty of time to decide which Marvel villain will battle Spider-Man. One of the options, Electro, is the namesake of Max Dillon, an enemy of Spider-Man who gains the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #9 in February 1964.