Shailene Woodley in talks for Mary Jane role in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' 2'

It looks like all of the pieces are starting to fall into place for The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, what with Andrew Garfield and director Marc Webb signed, sealed, and delivered. Emma Stone? Eh, not so much, but we know she'll be back as Gwen Stacy. So with everything in order, it looks like one of Hollywood's fastest rising stars is swinging into the fold, and in a role that's sure to get the fanboys talking.

Shailene Woodley, who broke out in last year's The Descendants, is in talks to play Mary Jane Watson in the follow-up to the $700M grossing hit. We all know who Mary Jane is, right? Peter's true love, fiery red hair, "You just hit the jackpot" and all that. In the comics, Mary Jane and Peter fell in love after Gwen's death, and ultimately the two would be married. Marvel would throw out their marriage decades later in a poorly conceived storyline, but casual readers still recognize them as one of comics' top superhero couples. This opens up a lot of questions, primarily regarding the future of Gwen Stacy. Emma Stone has previously expressed a desire to have Gwen killed off in the exact same manner as in the comic, and it was even teased a little bit in the film. Could we see that play out? Maybe, but my guess is they'll hold off for awhile so we can see Spidey string both ladies along for awhile. Romantic issues are not one of Peter Parker's strengths.

Sony is also said to be considering Electro as one of the villains, which would make sense considering he was strongly hinted at during The Amazing Spider-Man's post-credits sequence. We've also heard the rumors of the Sinister Six, which Electro is a part of, possibly being a factor. They're also searching for someone to play Harry Osborne, one of Peter Parker's closest friends and the son of the evil Norman Osborne. He also dated Mary Jane at one point, so again we probably can expect some serious love entanglements this time around.

I still miss Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, but I'm happy to see Woodley getting a crack at a franchise flick. If everything works out she's going to be up to her neck in webbing for a very long time. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set to open on May 2nd 2014. [Variety]