Spider-Man (2002) Turns 22 | Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Jackson and the stars who ALMOST played the hero in the film

It seems like yesterday that the world witnessed the consolidation of the superhero genre in cinema, with the debut of the highly anticipated first super production of the character Spider man on the big screen. In 1978, comics received their first blockbuster in the form of Superman – The Moviethe first work based on the material to be treated in a serious and adult way, with some of the biggest names of the time in the cast, see Marlon Brando It is Gene Hackman. The film gave rise to a successful franchise in the 80s. Then, it was the turn of Man of Steel’s fellow editor to follow the same path, with the dark Batman (1989) – which brought Jack Nicholson, one of the biggest stars of the period, driving production. But while DC dominated, Marvel struggled to get a worthy film off the ground – and the Spider man began its eternal pre-production in the 1980s.

The film about the character who is to Marvel what Mickey is to Disney was going through the hands of everyone who was a studio, everything who was a producer and director, trying to find the light of day. Finally, the dream came true – after the good film receptions at the house, see Blade – The Vampire Hunter (1998) and, mainly, X-Men (2000). Thus, in the hands of Columbia (Sony), the studio disbursed a staggering US$139 million for the production, in order to make Spider man one of the great films of the time. And of course, as we know, it worked very well. After a dance of directors’ chairs, the commander chosen for the project was Sam Raimi – who came from horror films and didn’t have much experience with budgets of this size. Raimihowever, managed to give personality to the blockbuster.

The next step was to choose the protagonist, who would play both the hero Spider-Man and his secret identity, the nerd Peter Parker. How we know, Tobey Maguire He was chosen and remains the interpreter of many people’s favorite character. But, Maguire He wasn’t the first choice, and other actors before him almost got the much-desired role. Check out below the select group of artists who were almost the Spider man at the movies.

This was one of the most bizarre hypotheses. The fact is that Michael Jacksonas well as the director Steven Spielberghe had what they call Peter Pan syndrome, that is, he is an eternal child. Jackson I loved everything about pop culture, especially horror films, cartoons and superheroes. He even starred in the short Captain EOwhich had a super-production atmosphere, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (and with script George Lucas), for a Disney theme park attraction. In addition to lending his voice to an episode of Simpsons. So, nothing more natural than Jackson was very interested in playing Spider-Man on the big screen. That’s what the character’s creator said, Stan Lee. The fact would probably have taken place in the 80s.

During the 1990s was when the film Spider man came very close to happening. At this stage of pre-production, the megalomaniac James Cameron was the name linked to the direction of the project. During this same phase, the filmmaker responsible for Titanic (1997) stated that he did not see anyone else wearing the hero’s uniform other than Leonardo DiCaprio. The film didn’t happen at that time, but when it was finally about to get off the ground in the early 2000s, DiCaprio he continued to be considered to play the character. In the end it was Tobey Maguirea personal friend of the star, who would take the role.

Yes, the “canceled” James Franco is in the cast of the first Spider man and in its two sequels, in the role of Harry Osbourne, the protagonist’s best friend. But the fact is: before being cast as the rich young man, Franco He was one of the actors who auditioned for the lead role and ended up not being cast. According to evil tongues, Franco reportedly made derogatory comments about the protagonist’s appearance Tobey Maguire, which led to a heavy atmosphere behind the scenes. Legend has it that Maguire It is Franco They didn’t get along, with the first confessing his lack of appreciation for his colleague.

Known for impersonating John Connor as a child in the smash hit Terminator 2the young Edward Furlong He was one of the actors the studio was most interested in starring in. Spider man. And this may have come from 1996, when James Cameron was still tied to the project and saw Furlong as a finalist for the position – the two had worked together on the aforementioned 1991 blockbuster. The problem is that he had become a problem boy, being associated with drug use and erratic behavior – which could make production difficult. In the end, Edward Furlong didn’t get the job.

1990s teen star, Freddie Prinze Jr. became known for slasher horror I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), its sequel (1998) and the romantic comedy She is great (1999). In the early 2000s he was the children’s Fred Scooby Doo. Interestingly, at the same time as the first Scooby Doothe actor was one of those who auditioned for the main role in Spider man. In fact, some pointed out Prince Jr. as one of the finalists for the character. On the other hand, the director Sam Raimi he reportedly made unfriendly comments regarding the possible casting of the young actor in the role, saying in an unflattering way that he wouldn’t have come close to getting it. Ouch!

Another young talent of the time, the late Heath Ledger had risen to fame thanks to the successful teen romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About Youfrom 1999. This made him one of the favorites to star in the super production of the Columbia hero. Ledger was another in whom the studio showed great interest. In the end, the actor ended up leaving to star in the epic fiasco The Four Feathers In the same year. And as we know, he would be immortalized by impersonating not a hero, but the villain Joker in Batman the dark knight (2008), his last completed work before his early death.

The actor Josh Hartnett He was promising stardom even in his youth, and in his first role on the big screen, he attracted attention in the horror film Halloween H20 (1998), playing the son of Jamie Lee Curtis. Then they followed Final Testin Robert RodriguezIt is The Virgin Suicidesin Sofia Coppola. The watershed year in her career would be 2001, when she starred in two very popular war superproductions: Pearl Harborin Michael BayIt is Black Hawk in Dangerin Ridley Scott. After that, the actor never managed to star in anything very significant, perhaps due to bad choices in his career – such as turning down the leading role in Spider man. That’s right, unlike the others who lost their role, Hartnett simply snubbed the blockbuster offer. Worse for him.

Another actor whose 15 minutes of fame has passed, WesBentley drew a lot of attention in the late 1990s when the repressed stoner son of a hardline military man played in American Beauty. All the boy wanted was to fall in love with his neighbor and film plastic bags flying through the air. Bentley He also auditioned to be Spider-Man, but he had a difference: he had the public and fans on his side. It turns out that at the time, a large part of the character’s fans and the public had WesBentley as the preferred actor for the role. In fact, the studio seriously considered him for the role. But in the end, he ended up losing to Tobey Maguire, how we know. And it was a wise choice by the studio.

Famous for the comedy series That 70’s Show – which will gain a new program titled That 90’s Show (recently released) -, where the frail teenager Eric Forman lived, back in 1998, Topher Grace He was never very successful in cinema – despite having starred in several films, especially comedies. One of his most famous works occurred precisely in the franchise Spider man, when the third feature (2007) played the antagonist Eddie Brock and his alter-ego Venom. Today, characters played by Tom Hardy in solo films. However, before that, Grace He even auditioned for the role of Peter Parker in the first film. Ever wonder?

Finishing the list, now we bring Scott Speedmanan actor better known for TV shows than theatrical films. Speedman He looks like a heartthrob, and would even look good as Peter Parker. The actor made his name with the teen drama Felicitycreated by JJ Abrams still in 1998. In cinema, he replaced Brad Pitt in Duets – Come Sing With Me (2000), starred in the first two night Angels (2003 and 2006) and Triple X 2 – State of Emergency (2005). Speedman even auditioned for the starring role in Spider manbut as we know it didn’t happen.