Fans of the Spider-Man franchise may remember that prior to shooting on Spider-Man 2, Toby Maguire was injured while filming Seabiscuit. The injury was rumored to be responsible for Maguire not showing up for filming, and word was spread that the producers of Spider-Man 2 were looking at Jake Gyllenhall (then boyfriend of Spidey star Kirsten Dunst) as a potential replacement for the webslinger. Does history repeat itself?

News hit the web last night that Toby Maguire, famous for his disinterest in sequels despite signing a three picture deal, has refused to appear in the third Spider-Man film. Whether this is related to the recent news that Thomas Hayden Church would be playing Spidey’s rival in the film is unknown, but apparently Maguire has made it absolutely clear to Sam Raimi that he will not be a part of Spider-Man 3.

On top of potential casting news, Variety is reporting that Raimi has already started work on Maguire’s replacement with an interesting choice - Topher Grace. Best known for his leading role on television’s “That 70’s Show”, Grace certainly has the wiry frame for Peter Parker, and having recently left the show for film also has the availability. “Topher’s a natural smart-ass, so Spider-Man’s quick one-liner nature should come easily to him.” said Raimi in a street-side interview. “Besides, it’s the first of April, so what else would you expect? Only a real fool would buy something like this.”