Already confirmed to include villains from both the Raimi and "Amazing" films, rumor had it the movie would also feature all three generations of Spider-Men on-screen at the same time. By That said, he almost didn't get the part. The child actor, who first appeared in front of audiences in Boardwalk Empire when he was just 12, certainly has the acting chops for Peter Parker, but perhaps he just didnt embody the role the same way Tom Holland did. It was, after all, the result of a deal between Disney and Sony and, in a way, a merging of franchises: the beloved wall-crawling superhero with one of the biggest movie franchises in history. Holland followed up that goodwill by appearing in the two largest Marvel movies to date, 2018's "Avengers:Infinity War" and 2019's "Avengers:Endgame." So when the next "Spider-Man" movie debuted less than ten weeks after thepremiere of "Endgame," it did so on a wave of MCU-driven excitement and anticipation. It's hard to believe that Tom Holland almost wasn't the MCU's Spider-Man. So what's in it for Disney/Marvel? Maguire's Peter just didn't make with the wisecracks, leaving room for a different view of a comic book-inspired Spider-Man to come. And it is tough, and it is shit, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. They've been known to cut trailers to mislead rumor hounds and instruct their actors to keep their lips sealed,if not outright lie. On the other side of the coin, Marvel was also desperate to bring Spider-Man into the fold. Dylan Minette, best known for his role as Clay in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why also auditioned for the role of Spider-Man, but according to an interview with BuzzFeed didn't give it his best shot. Perhaps the biggest mistake made by the film was the decision to kill Gwen Stacy. And in 2016, the web-slinging hero was rebooted a third time and officially introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War with Tom Holland cast in the role. What Ill proudly say is that I didnt compromise who I was, I was only ever myself. So why would they ever give him up to Walt Disney Pictures, the owner of Marvel and one of their biggest rivals? Though some may point to 2000's "X-Men" as the start of modern comic book movie mayhem, that film didn't have nearly the cultural impact that "Spider-Man" did, as indicated by its paltry by modern superhero movie standards box office take of $296 million worldwide. Changes to the story were also criticized. Here's a list of actors who were almost cast as the MCU's Spider-Man. After "Iron Man" kicked off the MCU in 2008, and especially following the monumental success of 2012's "The Avengers," the franchise redefined what audiences expected out of superhero movies. Released in 2018, the movie wowed with incredible art, an animation style that mimicked its comic book origins with incredible dynamism, and heart and humor by the bucketful. Probably not, but you never know. If there's one thing that Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker/Spider-Man lacked, it's a simple sense of humor. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Since his introduction in 1963, Spider-Man has been the face of Marvel. But things were about to get worse. Seemingly determined to ignore the lessons learned from the overstuffed "Spider-Man 3," the film also added Dane DeHaan as a new Green Goblin, and then there was a tattooed Paul Giamatti performing history's least-convincing Russian accent as the Rhino. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldnt have been able to do both of those at the same time. Before going on to say, Because Tom did amazing things with Peter, and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think its worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I dont think I could do it. Fans, for the most part, were in agreement. Seeing Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield come together onscreen got us thinking who should take the crown as the best Spider-Man actor of all time. Tobey Maguire brought a live-action Spider-Man to our screens for the first time in 2002. NY 10036. Despite sharing Spider-Man with Marvel Studios, Sony has continued developing their own Spidey-related projects outside of that relationship. The movies made stars of Maguire and his franchise co-stars, Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson) and James Franco (Harry Osborn), and "Spider-Man 2" is still considered one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Most industry experts assumed that Spider-Man in the MCU would never happen. On the day in 2010 when Sony announced the cancelation of "Spider-Man 4," the studio also announced that a reboot film would arrive in theaters in 2012, and they even already had a script from James Vanderbilt (though this wasn't the script the studio ended up using). With this being the third reboot, and with two big studios to please, the casting process was long and difficult. These confusing plot choices, as well as some subpar performances (Foxx and Giamatti were especially poorly received) led to both the worst critical reception and the lowest box office take of any "Spider-Man" movie up to that point. In fact, he's indicated he might want to take a hiatus from acting entirely, although rumors of a Fred Astaire biopic undermine that claim a bit. Fans desperately wanted to see him wear the Spidey suit, and while his name was tossed around the studio during the casting process, it doesnt appear that he ever actually auditioned for the role. Andrew Garfield had a big task as the second big-screen Peter Parker, taking over from the well-loved Tobey Maguire just a few years after Maguire's final performance in the role (something of a tradition for Spider-Men, with Garfield's successor Tom Holland also following quickly). Before "No Way Home" even hit theaters, Sony was already planning Peter Parker's future, with producer Amy Pascaldeclaring that another Spider-Man trilogy would soon follow. 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Williams, Channing Tatum Replacing Chris Evans in Apple's Project Artemis, Eddie Murphy to Star In New Holiday Comedy for Amazon Prime Video. Nat Wolff also stars in the Stephen King Mini-Series The Stand. Personalise your news feed. There was also a strong sense that the character's death was not earned in the film, and that it was done simply because death is what fans associate with Gwen Stacy. However, Spider-Man himself Tom Holland recently said that he would like to see Chalamet as a potential villain in future Spider-Man projects. While the 1973 comic book story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" is considered a classic, by the time the film was released in 2014, the plot point of a woman dying to motivate a male character was considered tired at best and offensive and damaging at worst. To see him back in the webs and given a stronger script and plot to work with in "No Way Home" seemed to affirm this impression. GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. So why, after making a ton of money, did Spider-Man 3 sound the death knell for the Maguire iteration of the character? Some have successfully reached the finish line, like the two "Venom" films, while others have languished in development hell, such as a film centering on Black Cat and Silver Sable. Now, with both studios wanting what's best for Spidey, it was time for a third Peter Parker to suit up. By skipping the origin story, fans were instead treated to meeting a Peter Parker who was already fighting crime as Spider-Man. Plus, Marvel Studios' commitment to secrecy is legendary. Rather than trying to find a new director to take over what Raimi had been working on, Sony decided to restart the franchise from scratch, officially ending the original "Spider-Man" series in 2010. Their films were undeniably successful, but that success was built on the backs of traditionally lesser characters like Iron Man. The Real Reason We've Had 3 Actors Play Spider-Man In 10 Years. So I think all things work out in the end. We think thats a great attitude to have. Logan Lerman, like Dylan OBrien, was one of the most popular fan castings for Spider-Man on the internet. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Looks like he wont be joining the MCU anytime soon. The reboot would take Peter Parker back to high school, and for this, Sony would need a younger actor than Tobey Maguire, who in 2010 was 35 years old. Unlike Iron Man, who was played by the same actor for 11 years, or Wolverine, who had the same man behind the claws for 17 years, Spider-Man is lacking in consistency. While not as financially successful as some of its live-action cousins, "Spider-Verse" is widely acknowledged as one of the very best Spider-films, right up alongside the likes of "Spider-Man 2.". Copyright HT Digital Streams Ltd. All rights reserved. No longer would fans tolerate lazy, by-the-numbers superhero flicks like they had before. Over 30,000 people have signed a Change.org petition affirming their interest, a response that's pretty impressive. A serviceable enough performance, Hammond's Parker was more of an everyman, somewhat to the show's detriment. Raimi began working on "Spider-Man 4" shortly after "Spider-Man 3" bowed, with both Maguire and Dunst ready to return. In the interview Minnette states "To be honest, it was at a time where I wasn't necessarily, like, seeking it out - really, I feel like I wasn't at a point in my career, in my life, where I would feel like I was fully ready to commit to something like that anyway, so I don't think I gave it my all or my best." Critics were not kind to the filmupon its release. Thanks to the success of the first film, Sony greenlit two follow-ups, "Across the Spider-Verse: Part One" and "Part Two," showcasing the dimension-hopping adventures of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, alongside the likes of Spider-Man 2099, in worlds featuring all sorts of different animation styles. Well, to put it simply, the movie had some problems. Both movies have already become cultural touchstones, and they rank as the fifth and first highest-grossing films of all time, respectively. Maybe hell steal his Dune co-star and Spider-Man leading lady Zendaya away from Peter. These were rumors that proved remarkably accurate. But since Peter still had the traditional motivation of Uncle Ben's death, this additional dead father figure narrative only served to convolute the story. Two years after his pitch-perfect MCU intro in "Civil War," Holland starred in his first solo film for Sony, "Spider-Man: Homecoming." While eight years younger than Maguire, Garfield was still at least a decade older than the character he would be portraying, and was two years older than Maguire was in the first "Spider-Man" film. It came in for criticism for anoverstuffed plot where Spider-Man faced off against three villainsSandman, Harry's new Green Goblin, and a miscast Topher Grace as Venom. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. For his part, Holland has been relatively open about his desires to step away from Spider-Man, at least for a time. We cant wait to see this budding young actor join the MCU finally. He was shortlisted but ultimately didnt get the opportunity to join the MCU. Rather than being an awkward nerd, Garfield's Peter Parker was depicted asbeing too cool for school. However, whiledirector Sam Raimi said the film was "awful" in a 2015 interview, it has come in forre-evaluation in some circles. It was2007's highest-grossing film domestically, and it made more money at the box officethan either of its predecessors. However, when you look at the critical and financial success the "Home" trilogy, it's easy to understand why Pascal, Sony, and Marvel would want to keep the good times swinging. It was all thanks to the animated insta-classic "Into the Spider-Verse." Fans thrilled to the webslinging "brothers" meeting and working together to save New York City and all of reality, and thanks to the combined might of Holland, Maguire, and Garfield, "No Way Home" crawled its way intothe top 10 highest-grossing films of all time. This article was updated by Jessica Gardner on March 23, 2022. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. For the most part, successful superhero movie characters are associated with a single actor who plays them for an extended period of time. His younger cousin was the one who told him about all the rumors. Indeed, over 1500 hopeful young actors auditioned for the role of Peter Parker. The Walking Dead alum Matthew Lintz was the youngest actor to screen test for the role of Peter Parker. Here's a list of actors who were also in consideration for the role. The original big screen Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire defined the role over three films that tapped a vein directly to the melodrama and angst of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's original comic book tales. That was more than $100 million over its anticipated opening. They were granted permission to use Spider-Man in their own films, such as "Avengers" movies and were also given all merchandising rights to the character. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. The Salvation star was quite upset about not getting the role, but took it in stride and congratulated his friend, tweeting, Well done @TomHolland1996, glad that Tom's a mate, pleased for him. Please refresh the page and try again. New York, This easing of Spider-Man into the MCU would allow the character to be integrated in the series in a more natural way, while also taking the pressure to carry a film by himself off of the new Spidey. This Spidey was less driven by the guilt over his uncle's death and more driven by his desire to please his new mentor, Tony Stark, who gives him a new suit in the film and recruits him to help fight Captain America and the other rogue Avengers. The modern superhero movie boom owes its creation to 2002's "Spider-Man." Still, through that, Garfield presented a Peter Parker practically designed to be lovable - a hard-trying, often-failing, always-striving innovator with a quick joke and a strong sense of what's right. With Marvel Studios on board, it was decided that Spider-Man would debut not in his own reboot film, but rather as part of the huge ensemble in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War." No doubt fueling this success was the fans' anticipation of the multiverse. Sony owned the film rights to the character, having purchased them long before the MCU came into existence, and he was their biggest cash cow the jewel in their franchise crown. He told the Daily Beast in 2014, I think what happened was, through the pre-production, production, and post-production, when you have something that works as a whole, and then you start removing portions of it because there was even more of it than was in the final cut, and everything was related. And after a casting search that included Josh Hutcherson, Jamie Bell, and Alden Ehrenreich, the studio settled on 27-year-old Brit, Andrew Garfield. But that hasn't always been the case. Given it's only been a few years since Sony and Marvel nearly severed their Spider-Man agreement, this declaration is a bit surprising. That last bit led to some now infamous scenes featuring the meme-able "Emo Peter Parker"dancing in the streets. Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, the 2000s trilogy of "Spider-Man," "Spider-Man 2," and "Spider-Man 3"kept the genre thriving while it was still in its relative infancy, grossing nearly $2.5 billion combined at the box office. Nicholas Hammond was the first actor to play Spider-Man in a major live-action production, in an eponymous CBS TV series that eschewed most of Spidey's colorful comic book adventures for more rote crime-of-the-week style plots. Not only is he the same age as Holland, but he is also a fellow Londoner and the only actor besides Holland to screen test twice. In February 2015, a deal was reached between Disney and Sony two major motion picture studios to effectively share a franchise. To find out why that is, take a look below at the real reason we've had three actors play Spider-Man in 10 years. There are a number of factors that have gone into the never-ending carousel of Spider-Man actors, with most of them coming down to failed films and poor studio decisions. Some fans will surely side-eye the idea of putting the current guy at the top of the list, but when it comes down to it, Tom Holland is a pitch-perfect Peter Parker - more than anyone else who's taken the role. Clearly, something had to be done to again save Sony's biggest franchise. I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. We cant wait to see where his budding career goes! Once you start removing things and saying, No, that doesnt work, then the thread is broken, and its hard to go with the flow of the story., Also read: The real reason Marvel fired Edward Norton from Avengers, replaced him with Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, More recently, in one of Varietys Actors on Actors sessions, he told Amy Adams, I signed up to serve the story and serve this incredible character that Ive been dressing as since I was three, and then it gets compromised and it breaks your heart. Its worldwide box office gross of $757.9 million, while still an impressive number, was the lowest of the franchise up to that point. Cookies help us deliver our Services. In the days before "The Dark Knight" and the MCU, Spider-Man was the biggest thing going in superhero movies. George Marston Instead, Pascal explicitly stated that the plan would be for three more Sony-Marvel collaborations starring Holland as the webhead. He's stated both his interest in future films with the other two Spider-Men, as well as a solo endeavor. Garfield's biggest failing as Peter Parker may have been as just plain simple as being saddled with a set of films that swung too far away from the common precepts of Spider-Man without enough of their own identity to make it work. But by far the most successful endeavor gave Sony not one, not two, but six Spider-heroes to call their own. The "Spider-Man" franchise seems to be in a good place now with Tom Holland at the helm, but history tells us that he probably shouldn't get too comfortable in his red spandex. He also nabbed Anne Hathaway to play antiheroine Felicia Hardy Black Cat in the comics, but in the movie she would've become Vulturess. "Far from Home" earned stellar reviews, becoming the third "Spider-Man" movie to earn at least a 90 percent average on Rotten Tomatoes. A skateboarder who disrespects authority and cockily stands up to and even bullies Flash Thompson, the character simply didn't feel or act like Parker to many fans. The director was looking to feature the Vulture as the film's villain, and had even secured John Malkovich for the role. I thought I could've made quite a good Spider-Man. Maybe he could join the ranks as a villain one day, too! Even before Raimi quit working on "Spider-Man 4," Sony already had a contingency plan in place for a reboot film. One of the biggest Spider-Man hopefuls was fellow English actor Asa Butterfield. There was a problem. In a 2020 interview with Collider, he said, Every so often theres a part [that you really want] and its a script you love and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you dont get it. "The Amazing Spider-Man," despite its failure to excite the fanbase and its underperformance at the box office, was not a bomb by any means. While he was probably a bit too young to join the MCU in 2015, he will be joining in 2022 as he takes on the part of Bruno Carrelli in the upcoming Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. But once the director realized there was no way he would be able to meet Sony's deadline for the film's release date, he told the studio that he no longer wanted to make the film. If ever there was a perfect time to play Spider-Man, it would arguably have been at this time. The film's "Endgame" connections proved to be huge, as it was the first MCU movie to take place after the momentous events of that film. There was also a love triangle with the addition of Gwen Stacy, a retcon of Uncle Ben's death, and Peter Parker's own inner battle after he's infected with theVenomsymbiote. The real reason Marvel fired Edward Norton from Avengers, replaced him with Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Pick a topic of your interest and subscribe. Holland edged out the competition through a series of successful screen tests with co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Ever since Tom Holland first appeared on-screen as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in "Captain America: Civil War," he's appeared in multiple MCU entries, including solo films and "Avengers" movies. With "The Amazing Spider-Man" reboot hitting theaters just five years after "Spider-Man 3," many were skeptical about how well the film would be received. Everyone has their favorite - including us - so without further ado, here's our ranking of the best live-action Spider-Man actors of all time! In spite of thewell-documented issues surrounding "Spider-Man 3," the immediate plan from Sony was to continue the franchise with the current team intact. Yep, this is going to work out well. But he took to the job by going a very different direction with his version of Peter Parker, leaning into his sadness and masking it with a sense of humor. "Spider-Man," on the other hand,grossed $821 millionat the worldwide box office a number that would be impressive for a film released even today (for instance, that's more than"Deadpool 2" madein 2018). Moreover, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield didn't just provide brief cameos. Fans driving the buzz don't seem to be looking to replace Tom Holland with Garfield, just giving the latter his own adventure in another part of the multiverse. The answer is that they didn't give him up at least not entirely. Ultimately, these story missteps and character changes hurt the film's bottom line. The lukewarm box office reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 certainly stalled Sonys plans on expanding the series, but one particular incident involving star Andrew Garfield also contributed to the termination of the franchise. From there, the next thought was a natural one: Garfield deserves another chance. Such a deal was practically unheard of, and yet somehow, the studios were able to come up with a plan that left everyone fairly satisfied. 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For reference, it took 26 years from 1987's "Superman IV" to 2013's "Man of Steel" for three different actors to portray Superman on the big screen. Sony's decision to reboot rather than continue with the original cast and a new director came from the studio's belief that the story of Spider-Man was best told through the lens of a boy becoming a man. Even Holland has grown into the role of skillfully evading questions. He has another possible franchise with the film adaptation of the video game "Uncharted." Maybe they're already filming the next MCU Spider-Man film. ", Related: Spider-Man No Way Home: 3 Things that Didn't Work in the MCU movie. Its okay, though, as Charlie Plummer has managed to get good work since losing the role, appearing as one of the leads in the popular Looking for Alaska miniseries. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" brought in Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx as new villain Electro, but the filmmakers didn't stop there. Garfield said that he no-show was because of an illness. Perhaps the movies were terrible, but the actor was not. Now, superhero movies were expected by fans to be good, and they were expected by studios to make an amount of money that few films had ever achieved before. Garfield, for his part, remains open to the possibility as well. And as it turns out, that skepticism proved prophetic, as the film underperformed on nearly every level. In addition to providing support to Tom Holland's emotionally distraught Spidey, they revealed aspects of their own lives that had unfolded in the years since viewers last saw them. Holland matches Maguire's sincerity and Garfield's exuberance, but with a sense of humor and youth that are endemic to Peter, but which have rarely been actually captured onscreen. In fact, in a 2020 interview with GQ, Lerman stated how he had no interest in playing a superhero. The film had the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any "Spider-Man" movie since "Spider-Man 2," and it earned a worldwide box office take that was second only to "Spider-Man 3.". And after a highly-publicized search that culminated in a screen test of six teenage actors, 19-year-old British actor Tom Holland was selected as the third live-action Spider-Man. Though he is now one of the most sought-after actors in the world, when Timothe Chalamet was being considered to play Peter Parker, he was still relatively unknown. The belief was that Spider-Man belonged in the MCU with the rest of his Marvel brethren, where the character could then lead the next generation of Marvel films to an even higher level of success. Maguire perfectly embodied almost everything Peter Parker is about - his warmth, his struggle with responsibility, and his commitment to being a hero. The Christmas Chronicles and Babysitter star is still young and has been getting steady roles since the part went to Holland. What's more, a lot of young and well-known actors were considered for the role before it ultimately went to a then-relatively unknown Holland. A new plot line was added that made the death of Peter's father part of a vague conspiracy, and it helped drive Peter's motivations. From a career standpoint, Holland seems hungry to expand his palette. The subplot of Richard Parker's death was also featured heavily, with the conspiracy now being tied to Peter's transformation into Spider-Man. Spider-Man: No Way Home is getting a digital streaming release in March, followed by Blu-ray/4K in April - and as everyone now knows, the film features not one, but three live-action versions of Peter Parker drawn from across the character's film franchises. The Sex Education star wanted the part of Peter Parker bad and he was crushed to lose out on it. I got heartbroken a little bit.. Charlie Plummer (not related to the late Christopher Plummer, unfortunately) is another actor who was shortlisted for Spidey. Where does that leave Holland? He was desperate not to repeat the mistakes he made in "Spider-Man 3," and thus became very particular about how the fourth "Spider-Man" movie should look, saying in 2013 that he'd wanted the film to take the franchise out on a high note. Unlike the previous two entries on our list, Liam James was on the shortlist to play Spider-Man along with Tom Holland.