Five actors approached the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man films in various ways, but none ultimately took the part. In the released live-action movies, Sam Raimi's trilogy starred Tobey Maguire, Marc Webb's two films featured Andrew Garfield, and the Marvel-Sony collaboration stars Tom Holland.
Maguire was injured while filming another movie, leading Sony to consider Jake Gyllenhaal as a replacement for the lead in Spider-Man 2, but Maguire eventually returned. Gyllenhaal later appeared as Mysterio in the Spider-Man films. James Franco also auditioned for Peter Parker before taking on the role of Harry Osborn.
Heath Ledger's agent stated that Sony wanted Ledger to star in Raimi's first Spider-Man film, but he declined the offer. He later won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in another comic book adaptation.
The other two are associated with projects that never came to fruition. In the 1980s, Tobe Hooper's planned Spider-Man film considered Tom Cruise for the role; in the 1990s, James Cameron's development of a Spider-Man movie favored Leonardo DiCaprio, but the project was ultimately canceled.