Spider-Man fans know that Peter and Gwen knew MJ while they were in high school and it wasn’t until Gwen’s death that Peter and MJ became closer. Now Variety is saying that Shailene Woodley is up for the role of MJ in the sequel:

Woodley is the studio’s leading choice to join stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the Marc Webb-directed sequel, which is preparing to start casting. Character breakdowns have gone out to talent agencies, and Electro is rumored to be one of the villains the filmmakers are considering for the next installment of the hit comicbook franchise.

In addition to thesps to take on Mary Jane Watson and an unspecified villain, the studio is seeking an actor to play Harry Osborn, Peter Parker’s best friend and eventual enemy

The Raimi version of MJ wasn’t very true to the original comic version, where she’s related to Aunt May. One wonders if they’re going to go that route with the new MJ. Electro is a villain that would be a great followup to Lizard without re-doing one of the previous villains. It’s a better choice than Rhino, but I do want to see Vulture show up in one of the movies.