Late actor Heath Ledger was the first choice to play the comic character of
Spider man which finally went to Tobey Maguire, his long time agent has revealed.
Agent Steve Alexander said Ledger was among those considered for the blockbuster role before Tobey Maguire stepped up to play the comic book super-hero.
"Sony asked me to come over and read the script for Spider-Man. It was going to be a really cool tent pole movie...But as soon as I said
Spider-Man Heath said, 'It's not for me. I would be taking someone else's dream away," Alexander told 'Entertainment Weekly' magazine.
While Maguire had achieved the status of superstar and a huge fan following all over the globe with his three Spider-Man movies, Ledger had to wait for his moment when he played
The Joker in Batman sequel
The Dark Knight, for which he won a Golden Globe recently.
Ledger, who died due to an accidental overdose of prescribed drugs last January, is also a strong favourite for the Oscars next month.
Meanwhile, the magazine has also revealed that Ledger had a miserable time on the sets of
Brokeback Mountain because director Ang Lee treated the late star like an "alienated prop". Ledger, who played the character of a gay cowboy in film was later nominated for an Oscar.
"During casting, rehearsals, and pre-production, Ang (Lee) is like the warm, wise, cuddly daddy bear. The minute he yells 'Action' on the first shot, the actors become alienated props he kind of puts up with... It's tough on actors.
"He doesn't yell at people or humiliate them, but it's a very tough space. Heath had very difficult days. You could really feel the pain he was going through," James Schamus, the producer of the film told the magazine.
