Jake Gyllenhaal joined the MCU with the 2019 film, Spider-Man: Far From Home. He portrayed Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, who poses as an aide to the Marvel superhero to help him defeat the massive elemental creatures. The film was the 42-year-old actor’s debut in the MCU, and there have been numerous discussions over his return to future Marvel or Spider-Man movies. But before taking on the role of the superhero’s nemesis in the 2019 film, he almost became the web-swinging hero himself.
Followed by the release of the 2002 film, Spider-Man, rumors started circulating that Tobey Maguire might not return for a sequel. During an interview for his 2019 film, the Prisoners star recalled almost replacing Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
Jake Gyllenhaal Almost Replaced Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
Tobey Maguire sustained some injuries while working on his 2003 film, Seabiscuit. Due to his injuries, many assumed that the actor might not make it to the Spider-Man sequel. This led to rumors about actors who could possibly replace him for the Sam Raimi film, one of which also included Jake Gyllenhaal.
The rumors also took heights as the Road House star was dating Spider-Man actress Kirsten Dunst at the time. During an interview, he addressed these rumors by saying, “I heard the same thing.” He further said that he had also heard that Maguire was injured and the makers were shortlisting the actors to replace him.
“But yeah there was talk, he hurt himself and there was talk. There was a slew of actors [possibly up for the part], and I was one of them.”
However, Jake Gyllenhaal believes that when an actor plays a character, it’s theirs. The Far From Home star acknowledged the same for Maguire, saying, “The truth of the matter is, in the end, he’s Spider-Man.” The Brothers star recovered by the time filming started for the sequel and returned as the web-swinging superhero in the 2004 flick, Spider-Man 2.
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How the Nightcrawler Actor Rediscovered the Joy of Acting
Spider-Man: Far From Home was Jake Gyllenhaal’s first big-budget studio film since the 2010 film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. And the actor talked about how starring as Mysterio in the Marvel film changed his perspective on acting.
During his interview with Vanity Fair, he shared that he had lost the goofy part of himself before starring alongside Tom Holland in Far From Home. And working on the film helped him rediscover the joy of acting once again. He said,
“In the case of Spider-Man, I think I realized, ‘Hey, acting is really fun, you know, enjoy it!”
He was also in talks to reprise his role in the 2021 film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, along with several villains. While he did not appear in the movie, fans have spotted what seems like an outline of Mysterio, leading them to believe that Gyllenhaal would surely return in future movies.
Jake Gyllenhaal starrer Spider-Man Far From Home is available for streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.
Source: Yahoo
