Most movies are one and done, but when an actor signs on for a franchise, they’re potentially committing years of their life to a role. However, their part isn’t always guaranteed, because sometimes, characters get recast in the middle of a series.
Here are 13 movie franchise characters who were famously recast. I want to know — which actor do you prefer in each role?
1.
In The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Rachel Weisz played Evelyn Carnahan. However, when the franchise was resurrected seven years later, she opted not to return.
So, for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Maria Bello was recast as Evelyn.
2.
In The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster played Clarice Starling. However, when the sequel was made a decade later, she declined to return due to a combination of scheduling conflicts and her mixed feeling about doing a part two.
In Hannibal, Julianne Moore took over the role of Clarice.
3.
In Iron Man, Terrence Howard — who had a three-picture deal with Marvel — played Rhodey/War Machine. However, during sequel negotiations, his salary was reduced to only 12.5% of the amount he’d initially been promised, which reportedly led him to refuse to return to the role.
In Iron Man 2, Don Cheadle took over as Rhodey. He’s played the role in all subsequent MCU projects the character appears in.
4.
In The Incredible Hulk, Ed Norton played Bruce Banner/The Hulk. At first, Marvel was onboard with his plans for a The Dark Knight-esque duology, but “as it turned out, that wasn’t what they wanted.”
In The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo took over as Banner, and he’s been the MCU’s Hulk ever since.
5.
In Batman and Batman Returns, Michael Keaton played Bruce Wayne/Batman. However, he decided to leave when director Joel Schumacher took over from Tim Burton for the third installment because they disagreed over the direction it should take.
Val Kilmer took over the starring role in Batman Forever. However, he decided not to return for the final film.
So, in Batman & Robin, George Clooney donned the Batsuit.
6.
When the Batman franchise was rebooted in 2005, Katie Homes played Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. However, she wasn’t available for the sequel.
In The Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal played Rachel.
7.
In Twilight and New Moon, Rachelle Lefevre played Victoria. Summit Entertainment announced her recasting due to “scheduling conflicts,” but Rachelle was confused by their decision.
In Eclipse, Bryce Dallas Howard took over as Victoria.
8.
In Major League, Wesley Snipes played center fielder Willie Mays Hayes. However, before the sequel was greenlit, his acting career took off, and he was booked and busy.
In Major League 2, Omar Epps was recast in the role.
9.
In George of the Jungle, Brendan Fraser played the titular role. In the sequel, “they built a joke into it that the studio was too cheap to hire [Brendan], which wasn’t inaccurate.”
Christopher Showerman took over the leading role in George of the Jungle 2.
10.
In Halloweentown and its first two sequels, Kimberly J. Brown starred as Marnie Piper. However, she’s “not really sure” why Disney decided not to bring her back for the fourth and final film.
In Return to Halloweentown, Sara Paxton played Marnie Piper.
11.
In Back to the Future, Claudia Wells played Jennifer Parker. However, she declined to return for the sequels because her mother/manager became ill.
In Back to the Future II and II, Elisabeth Shue played Jennifer.
12.
In Captain America: The First Avenger, Hugo Weaving — who also had a three-picture deal with Marvel — played Johann Schmidt/Red Skull. When Marvel asked him to return, they reportedly wanted to pay him less than his Captain America salary for both movies combined. So, he seemingly decided it wasn’t worth it.
In Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Red Skull returned through a combination of stand-ins and CGI. Ross Marquand provided his voice.
13.
And finally, in Inspector Gadget, Matthew Broderick starred as John Brown/Inspector Gadget. However, he didn’t return for the direct-to-video sequel.
In Inspector Gadget 2, French Stewart took over the titular role.
Which movie character recastings do you think actually made the franchise better — or worse? Share your thoughts in the comments!