There aren't many superhero roles that match up to Spider-Man in terms of cultural impact.
Countless hopefuls have auditioned for the part of Peter Parker in his various incarnations
over the years, including some of the biggest and most unexpected names in Hollywood.
We'll never know what might have happened if one of these guys had been cast as Spidey,
but it's fun to wonder.
Here's a look at some actors who were almost cast as Spider-Man.
Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger will forever be remembered for his game-changing performance as the Joker
in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
But the late actor could have wound up on the good guys' side if Sony had gotten its
way.
In the wake of his death, Ledger's former agent Steve Alexander revealed that his client
was the studio's number one choice when it came to casting the lead in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man.
The actor was ultimately put off by how little he knew about the character, telling his agent
he would have been "taking somebody else's dream away" if he took the part without fully
appreciating Spider-Man's history.
Jake Gyllenhal
Of course, the part of Raimi's Peter Parker ultimately went to Tobey Maguire, and the
rest is Spidey history.
Maguire was propelled to A-list stardom after the first film stormed to the top of the domestic
box office in 2003, but he almost never made it to the second movie after sustaining a
back injury while filming Seabiscuit in 2003.
Jake Gyllenhaal was drafted to take his place, though he was dropped when Maguire made a
miraculous recovery just in time for shooting.
It isn't the only time Gyllenhaal has narrowly missed out on playing an iconic superhero:
he was also close to playing Christopher Nolan's Batman, only to be beaten to the role by Christian
Bale.
"I'm Batman!"
James Franco
It's not uncommon for an actor to come away from an audition having failed to get the
part that they went for, only to be contacted and offered another role in the picture.
This was the case with James Franco, who read for the lead role in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man
but was ultimately beaten to the prize by Tobey Maguire.
"Oh, look at little Goblin Jr. Gonna cry?"
Franco confessed that he was disappointed when the director called him to let him know
the part had gone to Maguire, though he softened the blow when he instead offered the Freaks
and Geeks star the part of Harry Osborn, son of the Green Goblin and Peter Parker's best
friend.
Franco agreed, and the casting call for Harry was immediately withdrawn.
Daniel Radcliffe
When Tom Holland was announced as the newest Spider-Man, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe
was among those who offered public congratulations to Holland.
But his compliments may have come through gritted teeth.
Radcliffe went on to reveal that he wanted the part himself while also conceding that
it was now out of reach: "I would have made a good Spider-Man, but the boat has sailed
on that one.
I'm not sure if I'd sign up for something that was another seven or eight films or ten
years, but a shorter franchise, yeah."
He did get to at least out his dream by cosplaying as Spider-Man for Comic-Con, though, so that's
nice.
"You don't go to Comic-Con without going down on the floor and seeing it all, and so the
way I came up with doing that was Spider-Man."
Leonardo DiCaprio
Just because we didn't get a big-budget Spider-Man until 2002, that doesn't mean there weren't
earlier attempts.
One of the big what-ifs in superhero movies is the James Cameron version of Spider-Man,
which the acclaimed director abandoned in favor of Titanic.
Among the stars Cameron considered for the lead role was none other than Leonardo DiCaprio,
who read the screenplay and met with Cameron to discuss the role.
DiCaprio never did get to don those tightie-Spideys, but Cameron gave him a pretty good consolation
prize: the lead role in Titanic.
"I'm the king of the world!
Woo!"
And that's not even the earliest try at a cinematic Spidey...
Tom Cruise
After several failed attempts to negotiate a deal to get Spider-Man swinging onto the
big screen in the late '70s and early '80s, Marvel finally signed on the dotted line with
Cannon Films, a production company known for churning out low-budget action films.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper was signed up to direct a script that actually
saw Peter Parker mutate into an anthropomorphic tarantula.
Tom Cruise was offered the part, opposite Bob Hoskins as iconic Spidey villain Doctor
Octopus...but, unsurprisingly, Cruise decided to pass on the bizarre project.
But wait — it gets even weirder!
Michael Jackson
In 2009, Marvel's legendary Stan Lee told bewildered audiences at San Diego Comic-Con
that Michael Jackson had once invited him to his Neverland ranch to ask about personally
producing a Spider-Man movie, with the late King of Pop intending to take on the starring
role himself.
When Marvel said no, Jackson came up with a new plan: buy Marvel out so he could play
the role!
"When I told him I didn't think the company would sell it, he then wanted to buy Marvel.
'So then I'll buy Marvel!'
I don't know what happened.
Obviously he didn't buy Marvel, but he wanted to very much."
Yikes.
My hee-hee sense is tingling!
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