Making movies is a tough job. When working on any massive, expensive job, many people are involved, plans constantly change, and you never know what will happen. Hollywood seems to raise these already precarious stakes to the nth degree, with egos, artistic vision, personal woes, and scandals thrown into the volatile mix.
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Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised when a character you’ve grown fond of looks like a completely different person when a sequel rolls around. There’s some kind of story beneath that recasting, whether mundane or otherwise.
‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ — Grindelwald
The latest example of a role being recast in between films is the role of Grindelwald in theFantastic Beastsseries. After appearing in the first two entries of this Harry Potter prequel franchise,Johnny Deppwas replaced byMads MikkelsenforFantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore.
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You almost want to give the Warner Bros. public relations team a shoulder to lean on. Depp was recast as his legal battles withAmber Heardwere getting uglier by the day,with each spouse accusing the other of being abusers. That, combined with thetransphobia of series creatorJK RowlingandEzra Miller’smyriad of physical altercations, has overwhelmed theFantastic Beastsmovies with bad press. The studio had to do something to try and fix the series' image. Even if the recasting effort didn’t quite increase interest in the movie, Mads Mikkelsen does bring some gravitas to a series that has lost its direction.
‘The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor’ — Evelyn
Rachel Weiszplayed the role of Evelyn in the first two entries of theBrendan Fraser-ledMummyfranchise. She was Rick’s love interest and a badass in her own right. However, after a seven-year gap between the second and throw entries, the role was recast withMaria BelloforThe Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor.
The reason for the recast has been debated a bit. Weisz’s representation said it wasdue to scheduling conflicts with her family, while directorRob Cohensaid thatWeisz did not want to play a character with a 21-year-old son. While Maria Bello is very talented, the chemistry between Weisz and Fraser was part of whatmadeThe Mummywork, and that element was missing from the third movie.
‘Iron Man 2’ — Rhodey
Chances are, most actors would kill to get a role that pays, like a recurring role in the MCU. However, whileTerrence Howardwas in on the MCU’s ground floor, he didn’t feel that it would be worth it to stick around. According toHoward himself, there was a pay dispute between him andRobert Downey Jr. Likely feeling that he was undervalued, he left the MCU.
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Academy Award-winning actorDon Cheadlelater took on the role of Iron Man’s right-hand man, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, and ran with it, appearing in several MCU movies, including theAvengersfilms. He was even nominated for an Emmy for his guest role onThe Falcon And The Winter Soldierand is going to star inhis own Disney+ series,Armor Wars.
‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ — Victoria
The Twilight Sagais full of many characters: vampires, werewolves, and even a few regular old humans. One of the many recurring characters is Victoria, a vampire who appears in the first three films. In the first two movies, she was played byRachelle Lefevre, a Canadian actress also known for roles on shows likeA Gifted ManandUnder The Dome.
However, inThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Victoria was recast withBryce Dallas Howarddue to Lefevre’sscheduling conflicts with other projects. Bryce Dallas Howard brought a bit more of a fun, campy nature to the character that better suited the overall franchise.
‘Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban’ — Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore is the heart and soul of theHarry Potterfranchise. The wise headmaster of the Hogwarts wizard school, he supports his students any way he can and is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them. Casting this character was integral to the success of the series.
In the first twoHarry Pottermovies, the role was played byRichard Harris, who brought a beautiful kindness to the role. Unfortunately,he passed away in 2002. For the rest of the franchise, Dumbledore was played byMichael Gambon. He added to what Harris had previously established with the character by bringing a strong sense of authority to the role, which complimented the darker direction the movie took.
‘The Avengers’ — Hulk
Much like Terrence Howard,Edward Nortonhad a significant role in the early days of the MCU but left before the franchise took off. In the second MCU entry,The Incredible Hulk, he starred as the titular big, green guy. His Hulk was very serious, and you could see the stress he was constantly under. His performance is excellent, but his Hulk wouldn’t quite fit into what the MCU has become.
When the Hulk reappeared inThe Avengers, he was now played byMark Ruffalo, who has played the character ever since. Ruffalo’s Hulk is very different, employing a dry sense of humor as Bruce Banner to counter the Hulk’s overwhelming anger. The reason for Norton’s absence is still up in the air, with some reason to believeKevin Feigechose to replace him, while Norton sayshe chose not to get tied into the same rolefor a long time.
‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ — Sabretooth
Sabretooth is a classic X-Men villain tied directly with the most famous member of the superhero team, Wolverine. Then, it makes sense that when they decided to adapt the comic book to the big screen, he would be a part of the deal. InX-Men, Sabretooth is played byTyler Mane, an actor best known for playing quiet yet intimidating characters like Jason Voorhees and Swamp Thing. His take on the character was simple but effective in his fun, campy villain behavior.
When they finally made a movie dedicated to Wolverine, they decided to recast the role of Sabretooth with someone who could bring abit more gravitas to what the role required.Liev Schreiberplayed the character inX-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of the few shining moments in a disappointing movie. Schreiber brought a lot to the character, selling him as a brother figure to Hugh Jackman’s iconic Logan.
‘The Dark Knight’ — Rachel
Even though she may not have any comic book origin, Rachel Dawes was an integral part ofChristopher Nolan’sDark KnightTrilogy. Initially played byKatie HolmesinBatman Begins, Rachel is Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and closest confidant outside of Alfred.
After Katie Holmeschose not to returnforThe Dark Knight, the role was recast withMaggie Gyllenhaal. After deciding to marry Harvey Dent instead of waiting for Bruce to stop being Batman, Rachel is used by The Joker to push Harvey over the edge to show Batman that anyone could become like him with just a push.
‘Hannibal’ — Clarice
Jodie Fosterwon an Academy Award for the role of Clarice Starling inThe Silence Of The Lambs. Her performance as the strong-willed FBI agent instantly became iconic, thanks in part to her convincing Southern accent in the role. The film itself is a cultural juggernaut and is beloved by generations of moviegoers.
For years, a sequel was in various stages of development, and Jodie Foster was attached to return to the role. However, when the sequel,Hannibal, finally hit the big screen in 2001, Clarice was now played byJulianne Moore. As the movie was developed, Jodie Foster becameunhappy with the directionthe character of Clarice was taking and dropped out of the project.Hannibaldoesn’t feel like a sequel toThe Silence Of The Lambs, just another adaptation of the characters, partly due to the new Clarice. Julianne Moore is an incredible actress, but it’s not the same.
‘Back To The Future Part II’ — Jennifer
Back To The Futureis one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time, featuring two of the most well-known characters in movie history, Marty McFly and Doc Brown. No one else could play those roles. So, it’s interesting that, after the original became such a big hit, they recast Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer, in the sequel. Initially played byClaudia Wells, Jennifer wasn’t a major part of the movie, being stuck in the present while Marty and Doc go on their adventure.
In the sequels, she was instead played byElisabeth Shue. This is partly due to Wells having totake care of her sick mother. While it is sad for Claudia Wells that she didn’t get to continue the role, Elisabeth Shue’s portrayal of Jennifer was powerful, keeping up with her iconic co-stars.
