Kirsten Dunst has High Hopes for Spider-Man Reboot

Kirsten Dunst has High Hopes for Spider-Man Reboot

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Fanboys were never too thrilled with her performance as Peter Parker love interest Mary Jane Watson, but to her credit, Kirsten Dunst doesn’t seem too bitter about being excluded from the upcoming franchise reboot.

While speaking with Screen Junkies, the actress had the following to say about the project: “Sometimes they always want to push things for money reasons or whatever and it just didn’t come together the way they probably had wanted or envisioned. I like Andrew Garfield so much as an actor and Emma Stone, so I think they’ll be great in the new version.”

The “they” to which Dunst refers also could refer to the studio. "Spider-Man 3" was a disappointing installment in what had otherwise been a very satisfying superhero film series, and persistent rumors indicate that studio interference may be somewhat to blame for the sharp decline in the quality it represented. It’s been said that director Sam Raimi was not interested in the character of Venom and would have preferred to make a film without that particular villain, but his opinion was largely ignored.

Fortunately, it’s starting to look more and more as though this latest stab at the iconic superhero will be worth catching. After all, the cast is pretty admirable. Andrew Garfield, who recently delivered a performance in "The Social Network" so effective that the audience actually felt bad for a guy who in real life owns a significant portion of a multi-billion dollar company, will be stepping into the tights. Emma Stone, who will play the role of Gwen Stacy, has proved herself to be a skilled actress who gives off a distinctly independent vibe--maybe we can look forward to a character with a little more depth than the typical “damsel in distress” role these types of movies often call for.

Add in Sally Field as Aunt May and Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, and if we didn’t know better, we’d suspect that this ensemble cast was gearing up for an intimate family drama, rather than a web-slinging adventure.

Of course, many viewers will always have a place in their hearts for the original team that brought "Spider-Man" to the big screen, and Dunst recognizes this. “I felt like what we had during those films was so special, like me and Tobey and Sam. It was such a unique experience and also because it was these independent minds and actors and you’re making this huge film,” she says.

True, Sam Raimi will be a tough act to top. However, if a former cast member—albeit the least loved one—of the original franchise can see the potential in this reboot, maybe the rest of us should give it a shot as well.