The Sam Raimi Spider-Man films serve as the blueprint for many superhero movies that have sprung from comic book pages and onto the big screen in the last quarter-century. The spectacle, action, and hero’s journey of one Peter Parker captivated audiences, thanks in part to the stellar casting of Tobey Maguire as the Marvel icon.
It’s hard to believe that Maguire’s turn as Peter Parker was announced 25 years ago this week. The life-changing role propelled the actor into the hearts and minds of kids as their Spider-Man. He had by then been featured in critical darling features such as The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys. However, as Spider-Man, he became a household name and the Spidey so many of us grew up with. Much like Christopher Reeve’s Superman before him, Maguire exemplified Parker’s core tenet of goodness: to use his abilities to help the people of his city.
Here’s the casting announcement that was published at that time by Columbia Pictures:
At that point we had Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the X-Men series, whose clawed hero was more rough around the edges, while Maguire as Parker really shone as a pure-of-heart hero. And much like Jackman, Maguire set the standard of his character while even returning to reprise the role in recent features. We’ve had really neat full-circle moments with both actors, with Jackman returning in Deadpool & Wolverine, while the Spider-Man finger-point meme came to life when Maguire met Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
And while the Spidey suit still fits, we have the feeling it might not be the last time he dons it. In the meantime fans will be able to see the extended Spider-Man 2 this fall when it returns to theaters September 26.
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