Did You Know Tobey Maguire Was Almost Replaced By Jake Gyllenhaal For Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2? Here’s What Exactly Happened!

Tobey Maguire, who played Spider-Man for Sam Raimi’s trilogy, was almost fired by Marvel and replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal. Read on!

By
Koimoi.com Team
- April 12, 2023 | 2:41 PM IST
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Marvel fans are used to seeing different actors playing Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. All the actors who have taken up the role have their own image in the eyes of the audience. However, Tobey Maguire, who played Spider-Man, was once about to be fired by Marvel as he reportedly faked his back injury. Additionally, the studio had its eyes set on Jake Gyllenhaal, and he had already begun preparation.

Tobey’s Spider-Man has a separate fan base. No one could ever imagine any other actor playing the role, but as time changed, audiences loved the new actors who took up the role. However, one little lie could have changed Marvel as it would have put Maguire’s superhero career on the line after the actor faked an injury on the set of Spider-Man.

Back in 2003, Tobey Maguire was rumoured to be unready to step back into the Spidersuit due to a back problem exacerbated on the set of Seabiscuit. The actor was advised by medics to steer clear of reprising the role in case he injured his back and was paralysed. Along with that, Seattle PI reports that the director Sam Raimi had been told that Tobey’s back was in such a bad condition that any further injury could lead to him being paralysed.

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Many insiders even believed he was playing hardball with the studio to secure a better contract. Falling to it, Marvel was said to have put together a contingency plan to bring in Jake Gyllenhaal, with Kirsten not standing for his casting. Variety reported and said, “Columbia felt that Toby Maguire’s reported back problems were now being used as a threat during negotiations if the actor’s list of demands wasn’t met.”

However, as news of Tobey being replaced was spread, the actor apologised to the executives and secured his role back in the franchise. Little did anyone know that Jake Gyllenhaal would have joined Spider-Man movies as an antagonist, Mysterio, but not in Tobey Maguire’s version.

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