Emma Stone is Gwen Stacy, not Mary Jane

Despite an earlier report from Deadline that said Sony had offered burgeoning actress Emma Stone the role of Mary Jane Watson, it turns out, according to a press release, that “Easy A” star will be playing the role of Peter Parker’s actual first love, Gwen Stacy.

The mistake was natural, seeing as Stone is a redhead, except that she’s a dyed redhead and is in fact naturally blonde. Funny, seeing as natural redhead, Bryce Dallas Howard, dyed her hair blonde to play Stacy in “Spider-Man 3.” Add to that the fact that Kirsten Dunst (blonde) played Mary Jane Watson (redhead), and you would think the reporter at Deadline would’ve made sure to clarify.

Reporting gaffs aside, the move to bring on Stone in any capacity was hardly surprising because her star is rising (“Easy A” has made great money) and looking at the parenthetically mentioned film and next summer’s “Friends with Benefits,” she’s an in-house girl as both are Sony films.

Truthfully, Stone is an excellent choice for, well, anything, especially Stacy. . She’s beloved by movie nerds (and by osmosis comic nerds) and girls have mad crushes on her too. Although it remains to be seen how big her part would in fact be in terms of getting her own storyline and not just being Peter Parker’s love interest/damsel in distress, she’s more than capable of handling the role and if need be, upstaging its star, Andrew Garfield, who’s a darn fine actor in his own right (go see “The Social Network”), but a lesser-known quantity at this point.

The cool part is between these two actors, director Marc Webb (“(500) Days of Summer”) could pull off some seriously dramatic stuff and make it work. Garfield and Stone are quite versatile and will no doubt make a heck of a pair. These are two defining actors of their generation, and though I definitely speak too soon, if the new “Spider-Man” is a hit, you’re looking at the film that could officially begin the next generation of A-list stars. If that’s too much a stretch, the careers of those two would certainly take off (they probably will anyway).

Webb had this to say in the Sony press release:

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

Now, our attention turns to the villain. The script has been kept fairly well under wraps and no notable rumors have begun. Expect them to, however, quickly. Plans are to begin filming at the end of the year. The film currently has a release date of July 3, 2012.