In the original version of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’, one of Peter Parker’s most iconic love interests was going to be introduced at some point. Reports indicated that Mary Jane Watson would be making a small appearance in the film to set up for a bigger role the sequel. The part went to ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ and ‘The Spectacular Now’ star Shailene Woodley and she even got so far as to shoot her scenes. However, they ended up on the cutting room floor and after her latest film ‘Divergent’ was classified as a hit, it became uncertain if she would be able to return to reprise the role in future installments. But for those fans curious about what MJ was meant to be doing, you don’t have to wait until the DVD to see if the scene made it into the special features.
In a recent interview with Movies.com, director Marc Webb shared how the character would have fit into Spidey’s latest big screen adventure. Check out his description of the scenes that Woodley shot, along with an explanation why she was cut:
“There was one little scene at the beginning where she is next door and it took place right around the montage where he comes back and there was another little moment between Gwen and MJ.
But it just tipped over. The relationship between [Peter and Gwen] is so sacred and so powerful, that it just didn’t feel right. And it sucks because Shailene is such a fucking great actress and so cool and magical but it was just about having this obligation to this romance that I thought was sacred. It was just one of those things.”
The filmmaker does confirm that Watson will make an appearance in his story at some point, with or without Woodley. In fact, he may even include another one of Peter’s flings in addition to the fiery redhead. When asked about a potential onscreen relationship with Felicia Hardy AKA The Black Cat, who was played by Felicity Jones in the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ sequel, Webb would neither confirm nor deny that pairing:
“In the comic books, yes. Who knows what’s going to happen with that in the future. But there are a few possibilities we’re exploring but in terms of theme, that’s certainly an interesting thing to play with.”
While I am a big MJ fan, Felicia Hardy is one of my favorite Spidey love interests. As much as I’d love to hear “Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot” from Woodley, I think that it would be so much more interesting to see Black Cat and Spider-Man team up in more ways than one in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 3’ since that’s a relationship that we have yet to play out in a Spider-Man movie. After all, they could always save Mary Jane for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 4’.
What do you think of the description of Mary Jane Watson’s deleted scene from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’? Do you hope that Shailene Woodley will return to play the character in the sequel? And how would you feel about a relationship between Peter Parker and Felicia Hardy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Chris Cooper, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field swings into theaters in 3D on May 2, 2014.
