Actors Who Never Played Spider-Man, But Who Would've Been Good Casting Choices

[Batman Begins 2005]

I'll second Jake Gyllenhaal. Remember reading he was going to replace Maguire for Spider-Man 2 with Maguire's back injury but he recovered. Wasn't Jake considered for Batman for Batman Begins as well? Shame he missed out on both, he'd nail them.

[Kevinroc]

Is saying Ann Margret for Mary Jane too on the nose?

[vhm74]

Young Johnny Depp would've been awesome

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Another good choice I think is Jack Quaid, known for being Hughie in THE BOYS. His take on Hughie is very winning, and he would make an excellent college-age to adult Peter. But again opportunity is slipping him by, because he's getting older.

Peter Parker is a hard part to cast depending on which age you cast the character. If you cast young like Tom Holland, you roll snake-eyes because the actor you cast isn't going to age effectively into becoming the college-graduate level Peter.

So ultimately you should do what Sam Raimi did, and cast actors who are intended to play the proper older versions...like Tobey Maguire.

[Jman27]

Another good choice I think is Jack Quaid, known for being Hughie in THE BOYS. His take on Hughie is very winning, and he would make an excellent college-age to adult Peter. But again opportunity is slipping him by, because he's getting older.

Peter Parker is a hard part to cast depending on which age you cast the character. If you cast young like Tom Holland, you roll snake-eyes because the actor you cast isn't going to age effectively into becoming the college-graduate level Peter.

So ultimately you should do what Sam Raimi did, and cast actors who are intended to play the proper older versions...like Tobey Maguire.

I enjoy him Hughie he probably can play the meek Peter

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I enjoy him Hughie he probably can play the meek Peter

That and he has good comic timing, he can do dramatic scenes (he's worked with Scorsese in the Pilot for the VINYL show), and he has that look -- everymanish but good looking -- that makes him attractive to girls-out-of-his-league as in his romance with Starlight in that show. Luckily for Jack Quaid, he's inherited a lot of his mother's features, far more than his Dad's.

Whoever you cast as Peter needs to do drama, comedy, romance, be somewhere between normal looking and handsome. Those kinds of actors are hard to cast. Tobey Maguire had that quality, Ryan Reynolds does, the young Tom Hanks of the '80s did. But others don't.

Andrew Garfield for instance doesn't do comedy very well (and I know a lot of people are going to get upset and point out counters, don't @me), and while his romance with Emma Stone was good, he was never able to fully be an everyman. He came off as weird. Tom Holland is a good dramatic actor, but his comedy is one note rather than organic, and he's bad as a romantic lead.

[hbomb450]

I always thought a young John Cusack would've been a great Peter Parker/Spider-man. If they ever show Uncle Ben in the Tom Holland movies, I hope its him.

[your_name_here]

I didn’t realise how good an idea Jack Quaid was until now.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I always thought a young John Cusack would've been a great Peter Parker/Spider-man. If they ever show Uncle Ben in the Tom Holland movies, I hope its him.

Cusack...huh, yeah I can see it.

[CrimsonEchidna]

Going to go with an obvious one here, but since it gets brought up so much Grant Gustin would've been a really good fit for a live-action Peter Parker.

[Undergrizer]

Voice acting counts? I prefer Greg Cipes as Spidey for some cartoon series.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

I think the guy who voiced Spider-Man NOIR in that USM cartoon could have been a nice fit for the character in liveaction. I don't know how to spell the name of the guy who played Rocky's son in Rocky Balboa.

Voice acting counts? I prefer Greg Cipes as Spidey for some cartoon series.

This reminds me of the Carnage episode from Ultimate Spider-Man when Iron Fist dressed as Spider-Man.

[Dr. Skeleton]

Michael Angarano of Sky High fame would've been good.

[Mutant God]

Grant Gustin

[Hypestyle]

michael J fox around the time of Family Ties.