June 6th, 2009 -- Written by John Campea
There are a few things I’ve said about the Spider-Man franchise after Spider-Man 3 (what a horrible train wreck of a movie that was, especially after the fantastic Spider-Man 2). The first thing I said was that Sam Raimi should move on. Not because I suddenly think he’s not a good director (I think he’s great), but rather because he’s taken Spider-Man as far as he can at this point and as a fan of his I’d rather see him working on other original projects. Not to mention over the 3 movies we’ve seen a LOT of repitition and some new blood in the director’s chair would be a good thing.
Well… Sam Raimi came back.
The second thing I said was that they MUST get rid of Kirsten Dunst. The Dark Knight replaced their Rachel… why can’t Spider-Man replace Mary Jane? Kirsten Dunst has been horrible in all 3 films (not that I think she’s an awful actress… I just don’t think this was a right role for her) and the HAD to get rid of her.
Well… looks like Kirsten Dunst is coming back.
The good folks over at Obsessed With Film give us this:
Black also confirms that Kirsten Dunst is 100% definitely back for the next movie which means the money trio of Maguire/Dunst/Raimi are on board for at least one more go.
Sigh… such a rotten shame.
Posted in
Maybe they can give her minimal involvement in the film.
…..I like her as MJ in the first two, but we got tooo much of her in the third, and thing that we can do w/o out her…at least just for this film.
Love this news , John doesnt but i do :]
She doesn’t bother me.
Oh, well. She sucks, but I can deal with her.
Good thing Franco’s dead. I love him, but he was terrible in the three movies.
I have no problem with Kirsten Dunst. I won’t argue with John about her, as it’s clear that we have different tastes, and he’s pointed out that he doesn’t hate her as an actress anyway. So no beef there.
On the whole though, I’m semi-excited for Spider-Man 4, but won’t get full-on excited until the real news starts hitting.
I bet that in the finale of Spiderman 4 Mary Jane will be held hostage.
id put money on that
Too true.
There is good to come of this:
Now I can resurrect my “Kirsten Dunst looks like Billy Corgan” comments!
BEHOLD! http://ga2so.com/corgan.php
ya no she does look just lake that freak.
That better not be a crack on the Pumpkins
Thats my 2nd favorite band right there Kris!
And youre fucking comparing Billy to Marry Jane
Shakes head
No hate on the Pumpkins.
Hate on that snaggletooth for looking like a dude.
I am thrilled to hear this. We all know Kirsten Dunst isn’t the best actress in the world, but she’s cute and perfect for the role, in my opinion. Now, this could be because she was the first playing Mary Jane, but at least this will keep continuity. To be honest, if I heard that the role was recast, I would have lost interest in the movie. Maybe if they recast Parker as well as getting a new director, I can see a change up. But come on, is she THAT pathetic to ruin the continuity that much? I honestly don’t see a single wrong with her being in any of the films.
And The Dark Knight only did it because Katie Holmes didn’t wanna do a sequel (I’m assuming), not because she was disliked for the role. And frankly Batman isn’t one to be the role model for continuity considering how many Batmans there were over the past two decades so I don’t think that’s even relevant.
That’s right James. Katie Holmes didn’t want Dark Knight because of other film roles and schedules overlapped. I didn’t mind her much in Begins…however…Maggie Gylenhhall (sp?) was ten times better and she could nearly pass for Kate’s long lost sister.
I also think Dunst was fine in the film series, but the character of Mary Jane Watson … kidnapped THREE times in THREE movies. Dunst might as well be in a series of Dudley Do Right films, where the sinister criminal snatches a girl, hog ties her and lays her down on the railrooad tracks for the Mountie to find.
Hey John –
I would disagree with you that Dunst was the issue, but would agree with you that there is an issue.
The creators of the Spider-Man franchise, and Raimi above them all, are giving too much screen time to the character of Mary-Jane Watson. That takes away from the character development needed to build good villains. It was true in S1 and S2, and became extremely problematic in S3 because of the multiple villains.
With much less screen time devoted to Mary Jane, I don’t think you would have much of a problem with Dunst. Her chemistry with Maguire is quite good and her character whines all the time but she’s a playing a girl so they’re taking the realistic approach on that one.
MAYBE in S1, but I thought S2 had very few issues in that regard.
Also…I really do think Dunst was a bad choice for MJ. Now, I know I’m probably not going to convince you…but consider the fact that in the original comic MJ is, despite at first glance looking like your typical teenage girl, very elegant and sometimes mature. Dunst…is a typical teenage girl. That’s what she was in Elizabethtown. She may have been cute and funny, but she was not elegant.
And maybe this is more a writing issue, but I honestly don’t know what he sees in her. Sure, he saved her life a couple times, and that’s romantic and all, but I just don’t see them together. Especially after all that weirdness in S3. Still, even if they had written MJ’s part with elegance in mind, I don’t think they would have even considered Dunst. And even with the writing the way it is now, a more elegant, mature, and unique casting choice would have made a lot more sense to me.
worst casting ever.
im glad shes back.
raimi’s spiderman deserves her.
i have this theory… there cant be a spiderman movie without mary jane. how will the movies climax work? if there is no mary jane then who will the villain tie up & dangle from a really high place?
also, if there is no mary jane, then the whole acting career problem wont exist & then what will the writers do with all this extra time in the movie?
actually, maybe spiderman should be left out all together & this could be a mary jane spin off movie, then the villain can throw her off a builing or a cliff or something tall & we wont have to ever see her again. peace at last.
I agree John, they should replace Kristen, just to test it, but call me crazy, she was passable in the first two-except the horrible piece of crap 3rd installment. Raimi-move on. I have ZERO hope and anticaiptaion for the 4th
NOOOOOOO…..I say get Rachel McAdams as Mary Jane or someone who is better.
if kirsten dunst is in this movie at all, then in the first 10 minutes venom should come back from the dead and kill her, and then tobey maguire comes in and says “thats what u get for fuckin up the last movie”, then he says to venom “thank you, now lets go make a good movie.”
Great. Another movie where we have to sit through seeing her train wreck teeth in IMAX. Ugh.
the first 2 were good and kirsten dunst was in it, i just hope spidey 4 is as good as the first 2 were
I know a lot of you hate Kristen Dunst but it would be retarded if they changed actresses, I HATE it when they make a sequel and they dont keep the actors…its fucking stupid. I agree with most of you but getting a new Mary Jane would tank titanically….especially after 3 movies were she had such a big role and is world dwidely known as “That chick that plays Mary Jane” Just like Tobey Mcwire is “The really gay looking dude thats playing Spiderman”
So theyve grown an identity and theyre basically MJ and Spiderman…Now if they change actors, people would be pissed, as would I
Im not saying Dunst is the best Mary Jane, god no…im saying they should just keep her..it would make matters worse if they get a new actress
And…shes 100% sure that shell be in spiderman 4 and so is Tobey?? Wtf? Does that mean they havent started filming yet?? When the fuck are they going to get a move on!?
Hey hazmat,
So just because she’s been in 3 movies means it would be a bad idea to replace her? I totally disagree with your logic here my friend.
Pierce Brosnan was Bond for a bunch of films. Was it a mistake to cast Daniel Craig was a bad idea?
Actors are replaceable. Especially if you’re replacing them with better talent.
Like replacing Gylleenhaal replacing Holmes.
I meant Gyllenhaal replacing Holmes.
Not to be a pest John but I disagree with you here. Bond is replaceable because:
1. There is barely any continuity between each film (always a different girl, villain, premise).
2. They have already gone through the change in the past several times which means it’s accepted that the character can be played by different actors (although when Lazenby took over Connery and it was the first time it was a new Bond, audiences were pissed and the movie bombed).
Mary-Jane being replaced poses an issue because:
1. She has a relationship with the main character which evolves between each film and the chemistry between these two leads is a crucial element of the story arc used in the trilogy.
2. We have seen her progression from a teenager to an adult and her struggles as a character – at this point in the storyline we know her personally.
Try firing Emma Watson from Harry Potter and replace her with ‘better talent’. I don’t think the fans would be pleased and it’s mainly for the reasons I mentioned above.
However, I was happy with Ed Norton as Bruce Banner because of the reasons mentioned above as well.
Hey john
Yeah man thats cool
What Im saying is that everyone knows her as MJ so it would be weird as shit to change the actress
And I get your point when you say “Actors are replaceable. Especially if you’re replacing them with better talent.” but the Bond comparison isnt that good because theres been like 90 dudes that have played Bond so not one of them is THE Bond, instead only Dunst has ever played MJ
But you could come up with 8000 other examples where the actors were replaced for the better and I get your pont of view
Thing is, I dont really think she sucks as MJ that much.
The problem is that whoever is in charge of the clothing and make up dont make her wear lipstick and a bra, THATS the problem, the problem is that the people that wrote the movie made way too many lines for her. Same with Tobey, hes a perfect spiderman but its not his fault he never acts like spiderman, the writers made him a crying baby in the movie instead of a wisecracking vigilante
Even if they did get a new MJ she would still wear shitty makeup and have horrible lines, its not Dunsts fault IMO.
Actors ARE replaceable, I hated Michael Keaton as batman, and thank god that in the sequels they replaced him (even though those movies had 100s of more problems) but i think they should only be changed when absolutely necessary. Do I think its completely necessary to replace her? No, mostly because its not her fault MJ sucked in spiderman 2 and 3
And heres another point (that none of you might give a shit about lol) my little brothers are 6 and 10 and kids are a HUGE audience for these movies, and everytime a superhero movie comes out theyre always asking me 400 questions while the movie plays and, if spiderman 4 has a different MJ, the kids (“the kids” in general, all the kids that like the spiderman movies) will be very confused
They were confused when there was a new hulk, they dont know it wasnt a sequel, they dont know it was a reboot, they dont care, they dont know what those words MEAN, and according to all those happy meals and toys at toys r us, kids are huge money makers for these movies, whether its marvel or DC, and my little brothers dont give a shit about Kristen Dunst.
Im not saying we should be careless about the casting of movies because of 30% of the audience (kids) im just speaking out for the little ones, who happen to not give a shit about movie blogs and will never share their opinion lol
Ive wasted 500 hours of my life trying to explain why frank castle looks different or why sabertooth looks a lot shorter now to my little 6 year old brother
“Nick, the hulk looks different because the other movie was like 5 years ago, people change”
He doesnt know who the fuck eric banna is or…ed norton…
yea but bond was a reboot
There was two different actresses for Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde before Ellen Page took the part in the X-Men films. Nobody said jack.
That’s because nobody noticed.
I noticed.
Minority.
Everyone noticed
And the old kitty pride looks more like kitty then the Juno chick
I also noticed the pyro change…but none of them are like pyro because none have an Australian accent
Again, minority.
I can’t stand the character Dunst plays. She was fine as a high-school hottie but after she moved out on her own I need prozac flavored popcorn to watch her scenes. Is Mary Jane a debbie downer in the comics?
I don’t see what you people see in Spiderman 2. I thought it was a big let-down. the first one is still the best for me. I love character introduction though.
Totally agree with John. Dunst perhaps is not horrible but a card board cut out of any chick can replace her in the 3 movies. She adds almost nothing to the films. And I strongly agree ANY actor can be replaced. The argument that the audience will be confused or displeased is a classic mistake of underestimating the audience, which is why so many stupid movies get made. Maybe there are certain roles done so well by a certain actor that it can be argued that it would be hard to replace. But you must be crazy to think Dunst as MJ in Spiderman is one of those.
However the biggest concern for me is not Dunst. Sam Raimi wrote the screenplay for Spiderman 3, that is what i think killed the movie. Like Lucas should stay away from directing star wars. Raimi should let others do the script for Spiderman. He is not a strong writer.
well John if she left Spiderman what would you have to write about?
Well, he didn’t mention that the article w/ the interview with co-producer Todd Black also had the other bit of news, that being Morbius is not going to be in Spider-Man 4,
There better be something spectacular about this 4th installment if there is no “reboot”. This franchise needs to get trashed and started over. Spidey was my all time favorite super hero, and these movies were ok when I first saw them, but I can’t stand watching them now. The actors are great, but not ones that I enjoy watching over and over in these roles. (Maybe my son’s been wathing these a few times too many)
Though I’m no fan of Dunst, with all the problems of Spidey 3, MJ was NOT the major one. It never ocurred to me to blame the sucktidude of 3 on Dunst. Raimi did a good job of that by himself.
Oh. Don’t worry about it. There is a pattern to superhero franchises. We’ve seen it with Superman, Batman, and the X-men and we’ll see it with Spidey.
The first two will be good. The third will be a mediocre mess. And the fourth will be a horrendous monstrosity insulting to human intelligence.
After that, we will either get a reboot like Superman Returns or Batman Begins, or we’ll end up receiving a spinoff with minor characters, like the Deadpool movie or Magneto.
The worse that Spider-man 4 is, the more likely that Marvel Studios will get to reboot the franchise with a brand new cast and director.
Dunst didn’t write her character as the damsel in distress in all three of the movies nor did she write herself as a bitch. Rami did that himself, and deserves the blame if you have a problem with her having to be saved three fucking times in the Spidey movies. However, I could care less for her portrayal as MJ. lol
Megan Fox would be hot as MJ…
That’ll lure more fanboys to the theaters.
I can’t wait for more whining about MJ’s career!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZNCNRC3OU
Each character comes with awesome forgiving action!
Hahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa!!!
Kristen Bell, dammit
Dunst was okay, but she was almost nothing like the Mary Jane from the comics. She was too placcid and tame. I wouldn’t mind a recast but it’s been confirmed that they’re not going that route. Also, would it kill Tobey Maguire to crack a joke when he’s Spider Man?
Maybe she dies?
Yes yes yes , she is back. I think she looks hot in the movies , together with Bryce Dallas Howard in Spiderman 3. I dont think she is such a bad actrice, its hard to play a role of a spider his girlfriends :]
Maybe spidey will fight his greatest rival yet: Snaggletooth!! (or in-the-closet-homosexuality)
Yay… She was good in the first one to me, not bad in the 2nd, but just damn horrible in part 3. Not that there was too much that wasn’t damn horrible in part 3, but anyway.
I guess on one hand though, the girl hasn’t gotten much work since Spider-Man 3, so I suppose you can’t blame her going after a pay check. But on the other hand, her NOT getting much work since part 3 doesn’t say much for her either…
I thought she was underrated and hilarious in How To Lose Friends and Alienate People w/ Simon Pegg and Megan Fox.
wasn’t a big dunst fan for MJ in any of the films, either. but i kind of made peace with it. but now i think i’m more bugged that the character is back again. seems like she’s definitely run her course in the films. character development = good thing. too much screen time and exposure = bad thing. give spidey the film and enough with all the MJ drama and backstory! ooh, wait a minute – what do you think about a Mary Jane film?!? she can go all commando on the girl that took the part away from her in that play!!!!!
But that wouldn’t at all be canon. Once MJ came into Peter’s life she was ALWAYS a presence in his books.
So its ok to discard her now because you don’t like her, but in other issues you wave the “its not canon” flag like its the only thing that matters?
“She can go all commando on the girl that took the part away from her in that play!!!!”
Go commando on her? Like get even by not wearing underwear? Seems a little abstract.
I guess I could deal with it, though.
/perv
What a CRAPPY idea.
Seriously, no more Dunst, please, especally in light of the last movie.
oh GOD. she sucks as mary jane, MJ was a red haired bombshell who peter parker would never have thought he would have a chance with, she was beautiful BUT smart and reminds of rogue in the comics in that “im pretty but i can kick your ass” kind of way.
good point – MJ in the comics has always been a presence – you’re absolutely right. but i think in the movies Dunst’s MJ has run her course. the studios have made her out to be just another whiney damsel-in-distress victim. so i think in the movies, unless they can do something a little more interesting and worthy of the character, there is no need to cloud another movie with the same repetitive cliched storyline. if they’re gonna repeat again and not give MJ the power and credit she deserves, then leave her out of it. howz that?
definitely maybe, move her to the back and go with gwen or bring in felica.
again…..”why”?
Hmm, this should have been titled “Bad news movie fans, there’s a spider man 4…oh and snaggle tooth is back :/”
They had me at Spidey 1, decent film, but forgettable. spidey 2 was garbage as well as 3.
Why make 4?
I love comics and comic movies but I really can’t stand this series….
The Spider-Man movies are what they are and that’s popcorn fun. All I read is pissing and moaning about Dunst sucks and that Maggie Gylenhhall was 10 times better than Katie Holmes but their characters are not of the highest importance to most movie goers. Who goes to see a Spider-Man or Batman movie and gets excited about seeing Mary Jane or Vickie Vail? Instead of raggin on Dunst tell us who would make a better Mary Jane? It’s not so much Dunst makes a bad Mary Jane but her character hasn’t been allowed to develope and that she is always reduced to a damsil in distress. The writers are to blame here but the movies are still cool and I’m very happy to be alive to get to see them. The negativity on these sites is astounding to me.
kate mara should play MJ.
Very hot. I like dunst though.
?????????
… you people can keep this city!!
Yeah, I could see arguing this like eight years ago when the first one came out. But now? I’m don’t get excited when ANYONE is replaced on a long running series of this nature. Slushie Man said it best.
Sophia Bush should play MaryJane.
Now we have to look at another half hearted performance by Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten seemed so bored in spider Man 3. Does she know how many girls would kill to have her role?
honestly, i don’t care who plays Mary Jane as long as she has red hair and can easily fit in my nerdy, childhood fantasies. MaryJane isn’t exactly the most complex or deep character. she’s a pretty face that Spider-Man loves. she does have some deep stuff in her character, but nothing they’d ever put in the movies.
she in no way ruined Spider-Man 3. no one did but the script. so i guess the writers and the studio did.
Well personally , I think Dunst is beautiful in the first one , especially the first ten minutes , she really looks like Gwen Stacy (even her clothes look like gwen’s) , she was pretty good in that movie and when she was in danger , well those scenes were pretty good too and worth watching. In the second , she was good too but to me her part was a minor one in that sequel and dunst also changed her way to play Mary Jane , i mean when i watch the three films , it seems like it’s not the same character , indeed , despite of her hair color’s changes , Dunst changed her way to play her and i can’t really believe that it is actually the same character. Anyway , in the third one , sometimes her scenes are usless but there are some others which are really cool (the one when she’s walking down the streets all alone in NYC is beautiful).. Moreover , even though she’s not like in the comics , i think that having a bimbo in a spiderman movie would be very annoying so somehow i love what the writers did with the character. I know it’s going to sound weird but hey , i love when MJ is in peril , i mean i love dunst’s screams , i think they’re pretty touching in contrary to Bryce’s.
I dont have a promblem with mary juane. But I do with kirsten dunst. Get rid of her. Shes too emotional and whiny. I dont understand why shes was mad at peter. What he do? Shes treats him like dirt he does whatever she wants. So he kissed another girl. As a joke. He didnt really care about her. I think Qwen stacy was way hotter than mary jane. Bettey Brant was hotter too. Even the wired looking girl next door to him was hotter. Out of all the girls in his life he goes after her. Shes just jelous of spiderman.
I grew up with the Spider-Man comic books. Had a life size poster on the back of my bedroom door and subscriptions to all 3 of the titles that Marvel had out at the time. Take a look at the portrayal of the characters in those books. The movie villains all resemble to a very high degree their counterparts in the comic books that I would say the parts have been perfectly cast. Ditto for JJ Jamison, Gwen Stacy, and so many others. All except MJ. It is glaringly the most mismatched casting of a comic book character in the past 20 years. MJ is supposed to be a buxom, brash (in a lively Irish way), zestful character. Dunst is just milktoast. What a shame!
There are enough story shortcuts in the movies that detract as well. My advice is to read the comic books for plot and character development and use your DVR on the movies to just watch the fight scenes.
Yeah, Damn continuity! Continuity is such a horrible thing!