Did you know that Jake Gyllenhaal almost played Spider-Man back in 2004? Following the success of 2002’s Spider-Man, which starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, a sequel was planned however Maguire injured his back whilst filming a separate film. As a result, negotiations arose for Gyllenhall to take on the role, but ultimately Maguire recovered in time to carry on his work as the superhero in the beloved Spider-Man 2. And now, 15 years later Gyllenhaal is making his comicbook film debut as the iconic Spider-Man villain Mysterio. In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, the star reflected on that time and had high praise for current Spidey, Tom Holland.

Jake Gyllenhaal:

I guess you could say that, when you work long enough, stories tend to come back around. There was a beautiful thing that happened here. Watching Tom Holland, I have to say that I wouldn’t have held a candle.

When asked why he decided now is the time to join the superhero world, Jake said “This was a really interesting take on the characters. I really loved it and though, let’s have a little fun.”

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