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Maguire, who became a Hollywood A-Lister starring
in last year's top-grossing movie as the web-slinging
Marvel Comics superhero, may be replaced in the 'Spider-Man'
sequel.
And the named being touted is Jake Gyllenhaal - the
real-life boyfriend of his on-screen love interest,
Kirsten Dunst, Daily Variety reported in its Tuesday
editions.
Maguire's spokeswoman told the entertainment trade
paper the actor is still healing from 'mild discomfort
in his back' brought on by physically demanding roles
in his last two films.
Maguire finished production on the original stunt-heavy
'Spider-Man' in April 2001, then went to work 18 months
later on 'Seabiscuit', portraying jockey Red Pollard.
That four-month shoot wrapped last month, Variety
said.
The question now is whether he will be well enough
to reprise his role as the teenage geek transformed
by the bite of a radioactive spider in time to begin
production on 'The Amazing Spider-Man' sequel project.
'With an April 12 start date around the corner, everyone
involved wants to be certain he is able to do the
intense stunts', his spokeswoman said in a statement.
In line to don Peter Parker's red-and-blue tights
if Maguire isn't fit to swing from skyscrapers again
is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who happens to be dating
Dunst and who recently starred in the films 'Moonlight
Mile' and 'The Good Girl'.
Because of scheduling conflicts, it would be hard
to delay production on the 'Spider-Man' sequel to
give Maguire more time to recover, Variety said.
The film originally was slated to begin shooting in
January but was pushed to April so that Maguire could
complete work on 'Seabiscuit.' In addition, Dunst,
reprising her role as 'Spider-Man' heroine Mary Jane
Watson, is slated to begin production this summer
on her next project, the tennis film 'Wimbledon'.
In any event, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' remains on
a tight schedule to make the May 7, 2004 release date
set by distributor Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony
Corp., Variety said.
Questions about Maguire's fitness to return as Spider-Man
for the sequel come only a month after his agents
renegotiated a career-best $17 million salary for
the actor, more than four times what he earned for
the original 'Spider-Man' film, Variety said. 'Spider-Man'
was the highest-grossing movie of 2002, generating
worldwide ticket sales of $800 million, according
to the entertainment trade paper.
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