10 Actors You Won't Believe Almost Played Spider-Man

2. Tom Cruise

At one time or another, Tom Cruise has been considered for a role in pretty much everything, which also means that everybody's favourite (?) Scientologist could very well have been Spider-Man. In what sounds like the sum of an incredibly strange dream, in the late '80s there were plans to shoot a Spider-Man flick with Tom Cruise in the leading role, accompanied by Bob Hoskins (who would have been Doctor Octopus) and Lauren Bacall as Peter's beloved Aunt May. It's also been said that horror maestro Tobe Hooper was in line to direct the flick. Granted, the whole thing eventually fell through and plans to mount a Spider-Man film were shelved, presumably as the people in charge realised that what they'd conjured up - and the cast they'd assembled - were insane. Is it okay to say that we can't imagine Tom Cruise as Peter Parker at all? For a guy who's spent his career playing egotistic cocky so and sos, he certainly could've made those aspects work in his favour, but it's Tom Cruise! Can you imagine the sort of cinematic awfulness that would have been '80s Tom Cruise fighting Bob Hoskins?