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The Hiring, Firing and Re-Hiring of Spider-Man 304

Posted by CmdrTaco from the doing-the-things-that-a-spiderman-can dept.
Obiwan Kenobi writes "Remember that rumor that Tobey McGuire was fired and Jake Gyllenhaal was going to be Spider-Man? Well, it's true. According to the LA Times, McGuire's unwillingness to reveal the extent of his back injuries from his last project (Seabiscuit) resulted in a huge power struggle that incurred the wrath of Universal president Ron Meyer (whose daughter is 'coincidentally' dating McGuire), a pissed off Sam Raimi, and a now-fired agent. Interesting read about the politics of making a big budget blockbuster." Really just a gossipy story frankly, but McGuire seems to be in for the sequel despite the back problems.
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The Hiring, Firing and Re-Hiring of Spider-Man More

The Hiring, Firing and Re-Hiring of Spider-Man

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  • Normally puts you at a disadvantage.

    Tobey - Do NOT dump this girl. You will pay dearly.

  • the big mag (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:53PM (#5947548)
    It's not McGuire, it's Maguire.

  • They should leave him fired (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:53PM (#5947553)
    Tobey Maguire is weak. Always remember, with great back injuries comes great take-wrecking painkillers.

  • Not what I heard (Score:5, Informative)

    by Kaz Riprock ( 590115 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:55PM (#5947576)

    I was watching Celebrity Justice just today (don't ask) and it seems that Gylennhahallla was put in because he's dating Dunst and Raimi was upset with McGuire. But before Tobey can come back to play Spiderman (which is what everyone would prefer when attitudes aren't flying) he's now going to have to pass a physical and consider a paycut.

    • Re:Not what I heard (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      he's now going to have to pass a physical and consider a paycut.
      Tobey: I have considered, and am going to have to pass on the cut.
    • There was also some fanfare about Gyllenhaal being courted for the role of Carnage (3rd movie) a while back. Not a bad casting choice if it's true.
    • According to the article, he made ~$25 million for the first one (?!) and will make ~$17 million for the second one.

      To which I say: STFU, take some Advil, and get your scrawny Vegan ass back to work.

      Seriously, the guy sounds like a dick.
    • But before Tobey can come back to play Spiderman (which is what everyone would prefer when attitudes aren't flying) he's now going to have to pass a physical and consider a paycut.

      Yeah, I heard that he may have to take several million instead of his usual way too many millions.

      Geez. I liked it too. But it is a movie.

  • Back problems (Score:5, Informative)

    by gilesjuk ( 604902 ) <giles DOT jones AT zen DOT co DOT uk> on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:56PM (#5947583)
    Back problems didn't stop Orlando Bloom from doing Lord of the Rings. He actually broke his back too.

  • Interesting Article. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thrillbert ( 146343 ) * on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:56PM (#5947586) Homepage
    Funny how you can find out things about people, and how appearances are not always correct. Take me for instance, I really thought Tobby was as quiet and good natured as he plays in his movies. But after reading the article, I realize he's just another person who has allowed the money to go to his head.

    Fine, you're a millionaire, this doesn't automatically mean you need to be a prick.. be thankful that someone actually pays to go see your stuff, and realize that without the studios/directors/producers there will be no film, and you woulnd't be getting jack..

    ---
    But please, tell me what you really think.
    • Fine, you're a millionaire, this doesn't automatically mean you need to be a prick.. be thankful that someone actually pays to go see your stuff, and realize that without the studios/directors/producers there will be no film, and you woulnd't be getting jack..

      Exactly, being a prick has nothing to do with money. I'm not even close to being a millionaire, and I have the art of being a prick down to.. well, an art.

      These assholes in their fancy suits and expensive cars, staring in their stupid movies are giving pricks everywhere a bad name.

    • Happens all the time (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mblase ( 200735 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:21PM (#5947916)
      I remember hearing (this is unsubstantiated) that after "The Hunt for Red October" was a hit, Alec Baldwin demanded an enormous pay increase to play Jack Ryan in the next movie. Imagine his surprise when he was soundly dropped and replaced with Harrison Ford, who I imagine commands a much higher check than Alec Baldwin ever got for a single movie.

      The moral of these stories, of course, is that humility is a virtue worth cultivating, because when you get right down to it, nobody's irreplacable. Especially in Hollywood, where (if "The Matrix Reloaded" is any sign of things to come) we'll soon be able to map any actor's face onto a double's body with astonishing ease.
      • Especially in Hollywood, where (if "The Matrix Reloaded" is any sign of things to come) we'll soon be able to map any actor's face onto a double's body with astonishing ease.

        You don't think an actor would let a studio get away with that without paying likeness rights?

        • You don't think an actor would let a studio get away with that without paying likeness rights?

          If an actor had an identical twin, or a near lookalike, who was hired to replace him based on physical similarities alone, there's not much he could do about it.

          But what I had in mind was an actor having his face and voice scanned for one movie, with a provision in the contract that doing so entitles the movie studio to use those recorded images at their convenience for X more movies or for X years. Just as a mu
      • Have you ever seen the Michael Jordan commercials (forget what company they were for)? The one with Bulls MJ playing against 40-year-old MJ. That's exactly what they did there. They found a body double who was basically the same height and skin color and who could play basketball, pasted MJ's head onto his and hence we have Jordan vs. Jordan. Very convincing too. And yes, it still looks realistic when speaking.

    • Re:Interesting Article. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by jedidiah ( 1196 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:42PM (#5948113) Homepage
      This has nothing to do with having a big head. He was working 80 hours a week for another employer when Rami and company started to get their panties in a bunch.

      Let's see you bow and scrape to your next contract when you're trying to "give 100%" to your current one.
    • I saw him on Letterman when Spidey 1 was about to come out. Dave was goofing on him, with footage from an ancient black and white spider horror flick.

      McGuire *WAS NOT* amused. He looked royally pissed.

      I though to myself, "Self, that guy's a dick!". Looks like we were right...
      • Agreed, any man who can't laugh at himself being goofy is likely a royal prick. Hollywood seems to breed these types for some reason. Anyone who has lived in L.A. for any period of time can tell a story about how poorly they were treated in a social situaton by an actor, agent, or entertainment lawyer.
    • Eh. The first several paragraphs of the story were unduly harsh, and the claims not really supported by the facts presented in the remaining paragraphs. For example, they make him out to be demanding by saying that he believed the movie should be shot on his own schedule. In reality, he was trying to minimize the physical pain from his back injuries. I really don't think it's all that demanding to believe that the studio would take that into account. Then there was the money thing. There were reports of him

  • Currently Filming (Score:5, Informative)

    by KingAdrock ( 115014 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @01:57PM (#5947596) Journal
    They are currently filming down near the financial district in Manhattan. From everything I've heard Mr. McGuire is there, so I'm guessing he is in the movie.
  • thought it would be a good idea to change actors for a sequel. I dont ever remember ever seeing one weare they have that was any good

    • James Bond, duuuuuh

      Okay, arguably, it isn't really *good*, but it does have 20 sequels, most of which were very popular, so obviously changing actors between sequels isn't too bad (from a producer's point of view, anyway)

    • Hannibal Lecter, played by Brian Cox in 'Manhunter' and Anthony Hopkins later. (Quality left to others--but certainly, the later movies have done well.)

      El Mariachi, played by Carlos Gallardo in 'El Mariachi' and Antionio Banderas in 'Desperado'. I'm much more partial to Desperado.

      Also, upcoming, we have Michael Gambon taking over for the much-missed Richard Harris as Dumbledore in the third Harry Potter movie, which would have to try very hard to be bad. (Provided one likes Harry Potter in the first pl

  • Can he stay awake (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Ironpoint ( 463916 )

    Can Tobey MCGuire even stay awake long enough for another movie? I remember watching spiderman and thinking it was some sort of joke or something. I always thought of spiderman as hyper-energetic and outgoing, but I guess a lethargic spiderman was kind of interesting.

  • On TV... (Score:5, Informative)

    by wo1verin3 ( 473094 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:00PM (#5947645) Homepage
    On one of those TV trash programs Celebrity Justice [warnerbros.com] that aired yesterday (nothing on the site about it though...) they painted a slightly different story.

    According to them originally Tobey McGuire was cast in the role of SpiderMan but was going to be dropped because he was making demands that related to scheduling trying to make them work around his schedule because of his back.

    When he started making these demands producers said fine we have Jake Gyllenhaal in our back pocket so tell Tobey to take a hike. Tobey basically crawled back and is now SpiderMan but had to agree to certain things including signing an agreement that he would be financially penalized if he was unable to fill his role as SpiderMan and also had to undergo a medical exam.

  • Jake Gyllenhaal would do a better job (Score:5, Interesting)

    by aSiTiC ( 519647 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:01PM (#5947657) Homepage
    Never been a huge fan of McGuire. Jake Gyllenhaal is a much superior actor and also a little darker and more interesting. I'm probably in the minority and Jake doesn't fit with pop culture like McGuire does but it would have been cool.

    Anyone ever see Donnie Darko??? That's about all you need to say about Jake Gyllenhaal.

    Besides the fact that it runs in the family Maggie Gyllenhaal was amazing in Secretary.
    • i haven't seen his movies, but i saw Gyllenhaal walking down the street in the east village (with his sister Maggie) when i was in NYC a couple weeks ago.

      i couldn't imagine him as Spiderman.

      then again, i thought the same thing about McGuire. it'll be interesting for sure.
    • I don't think spiderman would survive if they changed actors, regardless of who could do it better.

      Why is it more like Batman than Bond? Because Spiderman is a hero, and Bond is a secret agent.

      But then we'll never know...

      • Re:Not worth it to change actors (Score:5, Interesting)

        by default luser ( 529332 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @03:05PM (#5948360) Journal
        Bond is replaceable because Bond is not the man. Bond is the style. We see the face all the time, and yet all we remember are the well-tailored grey suits, sporty cars and Walther PPK. All you need is a suave man to wear that suit, drive that car and fire that weapon.

        Batman is not replaceable because Batman ( as portrayed in the 80s/90s ) is the man behind the mask. This is why it was so important to have someone who could actually act, and why people really missed Michael Keaton in III and IV. He was fairly good at the role, and people became attached to his personal emotional stigma.

        You'll find the same thing has happened with Spiderman. The geek-out-of-water persona really gave Peter Parker as a person a lot more depth than people were expecting. But that depth is forever attached to Tobey, it will be lost if you switch actors.
    • Besides the fact that it runs in the family Maggie Gyllenhaal was amazing in Secretary.

      Maggie is also the matchmaker to put Kirsten and Jake together on the semi-fasttrack down the aisle, which may have helped Jake's standing in getting the Spiderman role.
    • Donnie Darko, while a very interesting, thoughtful flick (very Lynch-esque), is pretty much all we have to judge Gyllenhaal's "serious" work. October Sky was decent, but there isn't much else out there.

      However, Maguire has a very impressive resume, considering:

      The Ice Storm (by Ang Crouching-Tiger Lee, fantastic film)

      The Cider House Rules

      Pleasantville (excellent film directed by Doug Ross, same guy who directed Maguire in Seabiscuit a few months ago)

      Wonder Boys (awesome Curtis Hanson flick)

      Fear and Lo
      • Actually I quite enjoyed Jake's performances in both "Lovely and Amazing" and "The Good Girl" as eerily similar as the roles were. These were both very good independent movies. I also hear he did a great job in "Moonlight Mile" which I have yet to see. I would say that these were all "serious" roles, although maybe not in as widely popular and accepted movies as the Tobey movies you list. I don't think you can fault him for appearing in more independent films than major releases. You can fault him for "Bubb
      • The good girl. One of the most distasteful movies that I've ever seen, but he was excellent in it.
      • And Tobey was a big part of "Ride With The Devil". "The Cider House Rules" seemed too "hey, this is an artsy film, we demand an Oscar nomination for something dammit" for me. "Ride With The Devil" was no less serious, covered a much broader topic that we still deal with today (American imperialism as starting with overrunning Southern Culture) yet a lot more fun, and his character had a better transformation in it, I think.

        For all those talking about Jake Gyllenhaal ad how his darker personna would have

    • Re:Jake Gyllenhaal would do a better job (Score:4, Interesting)

      by RestiffBard ( 110729 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @03:13PM (#5948453) Homepage
      I've seen Darko, own it on DVD. He is good. But, like you said he's darker. Spiderman isn't dark. Either way I would have been OK with Gyllenhaal but it makes me nuts when sequels change around actors. The schizophrenia of Batman made me... well, batty.

    • Anyone ever see Donnie Darko??? That's about all you need to say about Jake Gyllenhaal.

      I, for one, would have loved to see Gyllenhaal be Spiderman and beat the crap out of that demonic bunny rabbit that tormented him all during Donnie Darko. Hey, that sadistic rabbit would make a more evil-looking villian that the Green Goblin did!

      GMD

  • D'oh! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Obiwan Kenobi ( 32807 ) * <evanNO@SPAMmisterorange.com> on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:03PM (#5947687) Homepage
    In the classic Posting Of Stories With Blatant Spelling Mistakes tradition, I hereby apologize for mispelling Tobey Maguire three times in a row.

    Yes, I too was in the running for a slashdot editor. (/joke)
    • In the classic Posting Of Stories With Blatant Spelling Mistakes tradition, I hereby apologize for mispelling Tobey Maguire three times in a row.
      *Force-choke* Apology accepted, Captain Kenobi. :)

  • Bring on the CG! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by fobbman ( 131816 )
    The sooner we can get rid of these primadonna actors the better.

    Honestly, for the amount of bank that this whiner is getting for making this movie I'd put up with an amazing amount of pain.

  • Meyer had more than one pony, so to speak, in this race. Not only was Maguire dating his daughter, he also was in Universal's "Seabiscuit." Meyer got on the phone with Maguire and told him he'd be making a catastrophic mistake if he didn't do everything in his power to get himself back into the movie.

    From the sound of things, he'd be making an even worse mistake if he hadn't done everything in his power to get himself back into his boss's daughter. ;-)

    • Re:Getting back in (Score:2, Informative)

      by hesiod ( 111176 )
      > to get himself back into his boss's daughter. ;-)

      I understand it's a joke, but it's actually his boss's COMPETITION'S daughter. His GF's Dad is from a rival company and he still vouched for him.
  • I think those tights make Tobey look fat. You call those calves? I call them steers!

    Let's get back to something geeky.

  • Jake Gyllenhaal is a much better actor, and this is exactly what he needs to become a household name.
    • >> Jake Gyllenhaal is a much better actor, and this is exactly what he needs to become a household name.

      Actually, I think dropping six letters from "Gyllenhall" is what he needs to become a household name.
  • I recall that there was some problem with Stan Lee over the Spider-Man movie. I read taht he supopsedly got totally cheated out of his cut of the movie profits when the studio said they didnt make any money on it. That article says "The first movie grossed more than $820 million worldwide". Does anyone know what is going on with this?

    • I think it has to do with "gross" vs "profits." It may had grossed $800+ million, but after everyone and everthing was paid for and the accounting wizards work their magic, the net profit was $0.
      • "the net profit was $0."

        Amazing how it always works out like that. Must be one of them there "coincidences". Or PIRACY! that's what it is!!

        Yet the still keep making movies. Hell, they'll make sequels to movies that show $0 on the books, without getting a nasty visit from the IRS.

  • In Soviet Russia... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Cmoll ( 646399 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:20PM (#5947897)
    In Soviet Russia, Toby Maguire is played by Spiderman.

  • Quote that said it all (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Wyatt Earp ( 1029 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:31PM (#5948000)
    "'Do I want to go in on the seventh day for an eight-hour cyberscan?'"

    If you want to get paid big bucks, you sure as shit better want to go that extra mile.
  • Construction workers make his one-day rate in a year, and have way worse than minor back pain from playing "Spiderman".

  • If anybody wants to understand this stuff, read... (Score:3, Informative)

    by landley ( 9786 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @02:55PM (#5948257) Homepage
    The book "Where did I go right?" [amazon.com] by Bernie Brillstein is a marvelous introduction to how hollywood actually works. It's the memoirs of somebody who's been involved in everything from Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters, the Muppet Show, Dangerous Liasons, etc. Along the way he founded his own agency (Brillstein/Grey [google.com]) If you want to know the difference between a manager and an agent, or how movies and television shows are really put together, or what working with actors is like, read that book.

    (Nope, never met the guy. Just liked the book.)

  • /SPIDER/-man (Score:3, Funny)

    by The Iconoclast ( 24795 ) on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @03:00PM (#5948304)
    To rehash an old Daily Show [comedycentral.com] Joke:
    Herschel Spiderman (pronounced /SPYDA/-min) now says, "Oy, my BACK! Enough with the vebslinging already!"
  • I wonder if Warner Bros. threatened to fire Keanu Reeves and replace him with Scott Baio if Reeves asked for too much money for the Matrix sequels...
  • Ok. I wish I'd know about this earlier so I could post a contract negotiations article about 'Joanie Loves Chachi - The Movie'.

    Dolemite
    ___________________

  • Crap film anyway (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Richard W.M. Jones ( 591125 ) <rich@@@annexia...org> on Tuesday May 13, 2003 @05:54PM (#5949858) Homepage
    Obviously only me who thinks Spiderman and The Matrix were complete rubbish.

    Rich.

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