Although actor Jake Gyllenhaal has yet to play a major superhero on the big screen, he almost played two of the biggest heroes in the early 2000s. Within two years of each, Gyllenhaal nearly became a live-action Spider-Man and a new live-action Batman. Although he didn't get either of the hero roles, the stories behind the missed opportunities are rather interesting, along with the potential for Gyllenhaal to perhaps claim a superhero role very soon.
Currently, Jake Gyllenhaal is one of a few popular names to play the next live-action Batman. Although Robert Pattinson is currently playing a younger Batman closer to the start of his career in Matt Reeves's ongoing trilogy, The Brave and the Bold and its presumably older Batman will be connected to the greater DC Universe reboot. Keeping that in mind, here's how Jake Gyllenhaal lost out on two major superhero roles in the early 2000s, and what it's led to in the years since.
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Why Jake Gyllenhaal Almost Replaced Tobey Maguire As Spider-Man (But Didn't)
Maguire Almost Didn't Return for Spider-Man 2
Tobey Maguire's young Peter Parker in Spider-Man suit
Following Tobey Maguire's debut outing as Peter Parker in 2002's Spider-Man from director Sam Raimi, there was a season in which Maguire might not have returned for 2004's Spider-Man 2. Citing a preexisting back injury following the first film that was allegedly exacerbated during the filming of 2003's Seabiscuit, negotiations for Maguire's Spider-Man 2 return were somewhat tense between the actor's team and Columbia Pictures. This was ultimately a negotiating tactic on the part of Maguire's team, though Columbia called their bluff with plans to have Jake Gyllenhaal replace Maguire for the Spider-Man sequel.