Amazing Spider-Man 2 Ponders a Villain, Some Friends

In a surprise, bombshell story just ahead of the character's 50th birthday party at New York Comic Con, Variety is reporting that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is currently casting for Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn and perhaps Electro. Mary Jane, who fans will recall (but Spider-Man won't) was married to Peter Parker for the better part of the last thirty years, was the love interest in the Sam Raimi trilogy, last depicted by Kirsten Dunst. This time around, it looks like Sony is skewing a bit younger, as they're courting Shailene Woodley of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and The Descendants fame. They may have to act face to snap her up, though, as her star is on the rise and she's reported to be one of a handful of actresses being considered for the Fifty Shades of Grey film. The studio is also reportedly casting for Harry Osborn, last played by James Franco in the Raimi trilogy; Osborn, of course, was Peter's best friend  before eventually following in his father's footsteps and becoming the Green Goblin. The third point in the story is that Electro appears to be the studio's early favorite to face down Ol' Webhead in the sequel. He was named by star Andrew Garfield in an MTV interview earlier this year as one of his personal favorites, an answer that surprised a lot of people--and then intrigued them when lightning appeared to play a role in the movie's post-credits scene. The hasn't started rolling yet, but director Marc Webb and lead actor Andrew Garfield were just officially announced to return, with an announcement regarding Emma Stone expected soon.