Emma Stone, a 22-year-old starlet who has appeared in movies such as "Zombieland" and the comedy "Easy A," will play the leading female role of Gwen Stacy in the upcoming action adventure set for release in 2012, Columbia Pictures said Tuesday. The studio announcement confirmed reports from unnamed sources from one day earlier about Stone's involvement in the reboot of the popular film franchise. Stacy was a supporting character in the original Spider-Man comic books. She appeared in 2007's "Spider Man 3," but was portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard. For the upcoming "Spider-Man" movie, Stacy has been elevated to the lead role. Stone has been acting since she was a child in Arizona, and in Hollywood she has been among up-and-coming actresses to watch in recent years. Her roles have grown from TV movies like "The New Partridge Family" to hit feature films such as "Superbad." She has several movies set for 2011 and 2012.