We tend to love the characters a star plays, especially in movie sequels. Why? Because not only is the character good but also because a particular star plays it. Would you have any other Jack Dawson than Leo? I guess not. An actor brings a certain charm to the role, and we love it. But what if they alter the stars in the sequels to our favorite movies? Here we have a list of 11 movie sequels that recast their stars.
1. Keanu Reeves replaced by Jason Patric in Speed movie sequels
Speed released in 1994, and the movie gave Sandra Bullock her big break. The film also did wonders for Reeves because it established him as an action star. The movie was a huge hit, and it was apparent that the producers will sequel it. Finally, they did make a sequel, but Reeves was not a part of it. The reason is that the script did not flatter Keanu Reeves; instead, he thought it would be a failure. He thought the idea of a cruise did not precisely fit in their theme of ‘speed.’ Sandra Bullock also expressed similar concerns towards the sequel. However, she accepted the role in exchange for financing her movie, Hope Floats.
2. Bill Murray or Bernie Mac, who guided the angels better?
There are many rumors about why Bill Murray did not continue in the series. They range from him being abusive to him passing mean comments to other actors on the set. We all know Charlie’s Angels – Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu did an excellent job with their roles. However, rumors suggest that Murray told Liu that she couldn’t act. So, the organizers did not ask him to continue and replaced him with Bernie Mac. Bernie Mac plays the role of Bosley’s adopted brother in the sequel.
3. Nick Stahl replaced Edward Furlong in the Terminator series
Did you know they wanted to shelve the Terminator series because James Cameron and Linda Hamilton refused to be a part of the movie? The rejection came as a shock because the franchise was doing well. However, this put the creators in a fix, and Furlong had his drug problems to look after. The creative heads decided to replace him with Nick Stahl. The directors thought it would save the movie from further controversies.
4. Movie Sequels replacing Judie Foster with Julianne Moore
Everyone loved Foster playing the role of Clarice Starling. However, Julianne Morre replaced her later in the sequel of Hannibal. Foster had so many opportunities then that she refused this movie. However, many people believe that the reason Foster opted out was because of the highly gory scenes. She was not the only one to have upped and left. Jonathan Demme, the director, also refused to be a part of the sequel.
5. Rachel Weisz to Maria Bello, recasting the Mummy series
Weisz left the series, and there are various rumors about why she did so. According to the director, she did not want to play the mother of a 21-year-old. After all, Weisz is so young herself. However, she declined these rumors. She said the movie required her to move to China for five months, and she could not leave her two-year-old child for that. She also thought there were problems with the script, and so they replaced her with Maria Bello.
6. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig replaced by Claire Foy and Sverrir Gudnason
The original cast of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo earned awards for their roles. This cast includes Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. They were replaced in the sequel to minimize the budget. However, the movie turned out to be a colossal flop. The actors could not create enough buzz, and the film died a slow death. This mistake also ended up with the end of the franchise.
7. Elisabeth Shue and Jeffrey Weissman replaced Claudia Wells and Crispin Glover
Back to the Future was a massive success, and so when the directors wanted to cast the same actors in the sequel, it was no surprise. However, Claudia was busy taking care of her mom, who had cancer. Therefore, she could not be a part of the film. Glover, on the other hand, demanded a lot of money and thus, was replaced. However, he later sued the makers for the likeness of the character.
8. Terrance Howard to Don Cheadle in Iron Man
Don Cheadle replaced Howard in the Iron Man series. According to the sources, the makers claimed that he was challenging to deal with on the set. However, Howard says the makers promised to initially pay him $8 million, and the makers later asked him to do it for $1 million. He refused to take up the offer. His income was more than anyone in the first movie, and thus, the makers wanted to cut it down to what everyone gets.
9. Mark Ruffalo replaced Ed Norton as Hulk in movie sequels
Ed Norton played Hulk in The Incredible Hulk, but Mark Ruffalo played the same role for the Avengers series. Ruffalo replaced Norton in the entire series to come. The makers claimed Norton was too unprofessional to work within the movie. Norton claimed that he wanted to work in the films, but the makers are disrespectful of his work ethic.
10. Who is Catwoman? Michelle Pfeiffer or Halle Berry?
Catwoman, aka Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance in Batman Returns created a buzz. Everyone loved how sassy and gorgeous she looked on screen. However, the directors made her standalone movie decades later. So much time had passed; no one cared if the makers had replaced her. But the standalone movie was a major bomb.
11. Alec Baldwin replaced by Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan in the sequel
Baldwin was enraged by the fact that he was not a part of The Patriot Games. He had done a great job in the first part of the movie. Baldwin claimed that Ford came by and convinced the makers to replace Baldwin. He also did not think that Ford was a good enough actor to replace him. The franchise made the most out of Ford’s movie, which was a testimony against Baldwin’s claims.
