SPIDERMAN Reboot Finds It’s Gwen Stacy… Emma Stone!

The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision has posted Columbia Pictures’ press release announcing Emma Stone joining the SPIDER-MAN movie:

The move was expected since the Internet was abuzz with Stone on the list of female finalists, then about to get an offer, then receiving an actual offer.

But despite speculation that the red-headed star of “Easy A” and “Zombieland” would be playing Spider-Man’s love interest Mary Jane Watson, she will be playing Gwen Stacy, a blonde.

Stone will star opposite Andrew Garfield who plays Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, in the franchise reboot being directed by Marc Webb. The movie goes into production in December and will be released in theaters nationwide in 3D on July 3, 2012.

“The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice,” said Webb in a statement. “At the heart of the story of Peter Parker is not only the amazing Spider-Man, but also an ordinary teenager who is wondering what he has to do to get the girl. Andrew and Emma will bring everything audiences expect to these roles, but also make them their own. Much to my surprise, it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde.”

(That last line is a surprise as Stone has almost always appeared as a redhead of various shades.)

Apparently the casting process involved looking for actresses for both characters and the studio was really into Stone, a Columbia favorite after starring in the studio’s “Superbad,” “The House Bunny” and “Zombieland,” for both characters. But as the search elongated, Columbia decided to focus on the more important role, Stacy.

According to sources, Mary Jane will not appear in the first movie, so a Stacy storyline could give the new movie a potential extra dose of gravitas, depending on how closely the studio and filmmakers hew to Marvel Comics lore. In the comics, Stacy was Parker’s first love but died in a fight against the Green Goblin. The studio is not expected to have Green Goblin as the villain in order to distance itself from the previous trilogy (Philip Seymour Hoffman is on the shortlist for the new role) but it doesn’t preclude a similar storyline in order to pack dramatic punch.

What great casting…I thought Stone was great in EASY A, and so funny in HOUSE BUNNY and THE ROCKER. What’s everyone think about the latest developments?