In a half-surprising casting decision, Emma Stone will play Gwen Stacy in Columbia Pictures' "Spider-Man," the studio announced on Tuesday.
Many bloggers (including this one) speculated that the red-haired actress would be playing Peter Parker's long-time love interest Mary Jane Watson, but it turns out that Stone is actually a natural blonde, so we'll be seeing a different look for the starlet in the high school-set reboot.
I think it's a wise-switcheroo for Stone, who should have more fun playing the sassier Stacy.
Andrew Garfield stars in the 3D movie, which Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") will direct from a script by James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac").
Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin are producing the highly-anticipated film, which is set to swing into theaters on July 3, 2012.
Stone has developed a strong working relationship with Sony Pictures Entertainment in recent years. The actress broke out in Columbia's "Superbad," and her star has grown with winning performances in the studio's comedies "The House Bunny," "Zombieland" and Screen Gems' "Easy A." She's also set to make a cameo appearance in Screen Gems' "Friends with Benefits."
Stone next stars alongside Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling in the Warner Bros. comedy "Crazy, Stupid Love." She's currently filming Tate Taylor's adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" for DreamWorks, and will also lend her sultry voice to DreamWorks Animation's comedy "The Croods."
Stone is represented by WME and Raw Talent.
