‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ Almost Cast Tobey Maguire As Older Peter Parker
A major part ofSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis about the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man we’ve known and loved for the past two decades, Peter Parker, passing the mantle to the younger Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). So wouldn’t it have been fitting for Peter Parker to be played by the first actor to bring the character to life on the big screen? Well, it turns out thatTobey Maguire, who played the webslinger in Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy from 2002 to 2007, was considered for the part that ultimately went toJake Johnson.
The Peter Parker we meet inSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis not the one we’ve known for the past 20 years. For one, he hasn’t been magically retconned to stay an eternally awkward high school teenager — this Peter Parker, as played by Johnson, is a washed-up Spider-Man in his 40s with a dad-bod and a permanent 5 o’clock shadow. It’s worlds away from the Peter Parker we saw Maguire play for three movies, but hey, we know he’s got the range. (Emo dancing Peter anyone?) And at 43, Maguire would’ve been the perfect age to portray mid-life crisis Peter Parker.
And apparently, the film’s directors had considered it themselves.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseco-directorRodney RothmantoldScreenCrushthat Maguire was one of the actors considered to play Peter Parker:
“There was. There were many thoughts about where we could put Tobey Maguire and others. I think after this film, those thoughts might have a little more traction. But before this movie, and introducing the idea of the ‘Spider-Verse’ to the audience, I think everybody was afraid that it would just really confuse people. But wow, it would have been fun.”
Rotham’s reason makes sense; as fun as a Maguire cameo would have been in the film, the great conceit ofSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis how it works as a standalone film unattached to otherSpider-Manor superhero films. Casting Maguire might have tiedInto the Spider-Versetoo closely to Raimi’s (still fantastic) trilogy.
Maybe in an alternate universe.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is directed by Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr., Rodney Rothman, and produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, hits theaters onDecember 14, 2018.
