Loane Nader 16:12pm, March 29, 2023

The filming of Spider-Man 2 almost happened without the iconic face of Tobey Maguire, the Peter Parker of the 2000s. Health problems would have been the reason, pushing director Sam Raimi to imagine another actor, also known from the Marvel universe, in the role of the spider man.

Tobey Maguire's famous dance in Spider-Man 3, when Venom takes possession of Peter Parker, almost never happened! It is first of all the second film of the saga that almost went without the actor, because he suffered from terrible back pain since the shooting of the film Thoroughbred, the legend of Seabiscuit, releasedin 2003. It is well known that actors sometimes chain productions, such as Maguire who took on the role of Red Polland, a jockey blind in one eye. An experience so physically demanding that the actor feared paralysis if he fell on his back during a stunt for the film.

Tobey Maguire's back pain did not subside, even before the start of production on Spider-Man 2, the director rushed to find a replacement. It was none other than Donnie Darko's star, Jake Gyllenhaal, whom Sam Raimi contacted to put on the red and blue suit. But the second film of the saga adapted from Marvel comics finally counted Tobey Maguire among its cast, narrowly!

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Back pain, a false reason?

According to Variety magazine, this turnaround can be explained by something other than a miracle cure. Tobey Maguire would have used this excuse to renegotiate his contract and a bigger fee. The Marvel production company would then have refused and preferred to hire another actor, rather than give in. Understanding that Gyllenhaal would gladly reprise the role, the first interpreter of Peter Parker would have decided to abandon his request.

After all these years, the mystery remains as to the real reason behind a possible change of distribution. No regrets for the two actors, who have each been very successful in their respective careers. In addition to the Spider-Man saga, Tobey Maguire shared the poster of the highly acclaimed The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio, while Jake Gyllenhaal has chained successes, thanks to Zodiac, Prisoners or The Left-hander.