Spider-Verse directors considered casting Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

We've been enjoying watching Spider-Man (although sometimes not) on the big-screen for over fifteen years, but over the course of six Spidey movies (not counting CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR), we've never had the opportunity to watch Peter Parker get older, until now. The soon-to-be-released SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE gives us plenty of Spider-Peeps to team up with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), one of whom is Peter Parker himself.

Noticeably older and having been in the Spider-Man game for quite some time, it's been heavily hinted that this version of Peter Parker is the same one played by Tobey Maguire in the Sam Raimi trilogy. We've seen references to those movies in the SPIDER-VERSE trailers, and screenwriter Phil Lord has said that they imagined this version of Spider-Man to be about the same age that the Maguire character would have been had he continued. At one point in the development of the film, the connection to the Tobey Maguire Spidey had the potential to become even stronger, as SPIDER-VERSE directors Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman recently spoke with ScreenCrush and Rothman told them that they had even considered casting Tobey Maguire in the role.

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.

That would have been a lot of fun, but I can understand how it could have been overly confusing, especially as the film already includes a fair amount of out-there elements. Peter Parker wound up being voiced by Jake Johnson (New Girl), who, by all accounts, does a great job in the role, but it's interesting to note that Rodney Rothman isn't ruling out a possible appearance from Tobey Maguire's Spidey (as well as Andrew Garfield's and Tom Holland's) in future SPIDER-VERSE movies. What say you? Would you be down for our live-action Spider-Men leaping into the animated Spider-Verse down the line?

The official synopsis for SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE:

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE will hit theaters on December 14th, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray!