Spider-Man: 15 Actors Who Almost Played Major Roles

Also in the Cannon era of Spider-Man, what if Lauren Bacall had been the kind-hearted Aunt May, and how would The Big Sleep's leading lady have taken to being the widowed guardian of Peter Parker? Bacall would certainly have sexed up May from sitting in the corner and knitting every night. They didn't get quite as far as auditioning Bacall, but her name circled around the time that the studio was looking at who to cast.

You can only imagine that Marisa Tomei's Aunt May flirting with Tony Stark was the idea they were going for with Bacall. As one of Hollywood's first femme fatales, Bacall could have been perfect as a very different Aunt May. It is ironic that Emma Stone from Marc Webb's Spideyverse is called the "new" Lauren Bacall, so perhaps her role with Spider-Man was fate. Sorry Sally Field, and forget Tom Cruise, having Bacall on board for any Spider-Man film would have elevated its A-list status.