Shailene Woodley's Mary Jane Role Cut From "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"

It's possible the part will be recast.

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If you were looking forward to seeing Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane in the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2, bad news: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Woodley and Mary Jane have been cut from the film following director Marc Webb's decision to "streamline" the plot.

Woodley's appearance as Mary Jane was never intended to be huge—she only filmed for three days, and her role in the film was only meant to introduce her as a major player for the third and fourth sequels—but Webb ultimately decided to focus on Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)'s relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Mary Jane's character, instead, will just be introduced in the third film.

"I made a creative decision to streamline the story and focus on Peter and Gwen and their relationship," Webb explained of the decision. "Shailene is an incredibly talented actress, and while we only shot a few scenes with Mary Jane, we all love working with her."

It's not clear whether or not Woodley will be returning to the role, but sources are reportedly saying that it's likely Mary Jane will be recast.

"Of course I'm bummed," Woodley said of the news in a statement to EW. "But I am a firm believer in everything happening for a specific reason. MJ only appeared in a few scenes and I wouldn’t trade the experience of working with Andrew and Emma for three days on set for the world. Based on the proposed plot, I completely understand the need for holding off on introducing MJ until the next film."

It's a tough break, but Woodley should be alright—after starring alongside George Clooney in The Descendants, a role that effectively helped most people forget about the fact that she ever starred in The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Woodley managed to nab a lead roles in The Fault in Our StarsThe Spectacular Now, and in the upcoming major blockbuster Divergent.

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[via The Hollywood Reporter]

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