Emma Stone is Gwen Stacy

Spider-Man sure has been weaving one tangled web over the past few days. With news emerging that Emma Stone had been cast as Mary Jane Watson , and a list of possible contenders for Gwen Stacy released, it’s now officially been confirmed that Stone will in fact be playing Stacy, and not Watson.

Previously, casting reports had it that Zombieland star Stone was all but a definite to play Peter Parker’s flame Mary Jane Watson in Marc Webb’s Spidey reboot. The role was thought to be a small one that would be developed further in the sequels.

Now, though, Webb has officially settled on Stone to play Stacy, the blonde college co-ed who, in the comics, becomes Parker’s first love.

“The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice,” reveals Webb. “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.”

Phew! Looks like a perfect match to us, and it’s great that Stone has been given a far larger chunk of the Spidey cake than first thought. Having Stacy as the primary love interest should also suitably differentiate Webb’s Spider-Man from Raimi’s, and give us all something new to chow down on.

But what about Mary Jane? Very early reports hinted that she wouldn’t be appearing in the reboot at all, but with recent news stating that she could show up in a diminished capacity, just who might Webb bag for the red-haired future Mrs Parker?

Spider-Man opens in cinemas in 2012. Filming is set to commence in December.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.