Recasting an actor can disrupt an entire production, but sometimes the change works and the new actor disappears into the role. The decision to recast can happen for a multitude of reasons, but the new actor’s job is always the same; make the change as discreet as possible. When recasting is too obvious, it can make the viewing experience jarring and add unnecessary confusion. That takes away from the plot of the movie. A recast is most successful when it goes unnoticed.
Getting into the role can work through voice work or makeup and prosthetics, and is beneficial if the character hasn’t had much air time before. The character may have been briefly teased in a previous film, but as the role grew, the filmmakers decided to go in a different direction. Scheduling can become a major issue as a franchise continues. There might be an actor available for the first film, but there will be conflicts when the sequels go into production. Still, there are many techniques that can make a recast work well and add to a film.
13 George McFly: Crispin Glover and Jeffery Weissman
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
in the original Return to the future (1985), Crispin Glover plays Marty’s father, George. When they asked him to return for the remake, he rejected for financial reasons. The role was then passed to Jeffery Weissman, who did an excellent job adapting to the role. Part of this was because George was many years older in the sequel, so prosthetics were used to age Weissman and make him look similar to Glover. Jennifer’s role was also modified between the two films, but George’s change was much more subtle.
12 Thanos: Damion Poitier and Josh Brolin
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Josh Brolin is a powerhouse as the villainous Thanos, who plays the central antagonist of the Avengers franchise. However, he was not the first actor to take on the role. Brolin makes his first appearance as Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxybut Thanos’s first appearance is in the end credits scene of the Avengers (2012). Here, Damion Poitier plays Thanos, giving the camera an evil smile that hints at the havoc he will wreak. After playing the role for such a short time on screen, it was safe to assume that the recast with Brolin would go unnoticed.
eleven John Ambrose: Jordan Burtchett and Jordan Fisher
To all the boys: PS: I still love you (2020)
John Ambrose doesn’t have much to do in the first film of the series, To all the boys I’ve loved before (2018), but appears briefly at the end with Jordan Burtchett in the role. When John Ambrose took on a larger role in To all the boys: PS: I still love you, was replaced by Jordan Fisher. It was difficult to identify Burtchett in the original, so it’s easy to assume that Fisher is the only one chosen. His excellent chemistry with Lara Jean (Lana Condor) also helped him get into the movies.
10 Victory: Rachelle Lefevre and Bryce Dallas Howard
Eclipse (2010)
In Twilight (2008) Rachelle Lefevre plays the infamous Victoria, who kidnaps Bella and gets angry with Edward. Although she plays a major role in this film, she appears less frequently in the sequel. New Moon (2009), and takes a backseat to the franchise. This meant that when Bryce Dallas Howard took control in the third movie, Eclipse, as the most prominent member of the cast, was not that different. Furthermore, the plot of Twilight Cinema deals above all with love story between Edward and Bellaso the other characters are not the most important.
9 Emperor Palpatine: Marjorie Eaton and Ian McDiarmid
Return of the Jedi (1983)
It’s a little-known fact that the first actor to take on the fearsome role of Emperor Palpatine was a woman, Marjorie Eaton. Her voice was dubbed with that of Clive Revill, and he was given credit for the role. The character is now synonymous with Ian McDiarmid, who has given several performances as Emperor Palpatine. McDiarmid first appears as the Emperor in Return of the Jedisince he had a lot more to do in the role, and plays it in most of the Star Wars Movies. It is to his credit that the role has become so prominent and that he has provided a great performance.
8 Kitty Pryde: Sumela Kay, Katie Stuart and Elliot Page
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
In it X Men movies, Kitty Pryde didn’t have much to do until Elliot Page took on the character, but Kitty existed before that. She was played by both Sumela Kay and Katie Stuart, in small scenes that are easy to miss. Page became Kitty in X-Men: The Last Stand becoming a major actor in the following films and saving the day more than once. Characters in X Men They have been modified many times to match the character’s age, but Kitty Pryde’s modification is the easiest to overlook.
7 Lavender Brown: Kathleen Cauley, Jennifer Smith and Jessie Cave
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Jessie Cave is the most memorable Lavender Brown because she plays her in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, when she is Ron’s love interest. Before this, both Kathleen Cauley, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsand Jennifer Smith, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, played younger versions that did not talk about the character. The cast of Hogwarts students changed frequently throughout the films. As the child actors grew older, the scheduling became more complicated and different characters were promoted to larger roles. Although it was easy to overlook, Lavender’s recasting as a white actress was controversial to those who noticed.
6 Evelyn: Maria Bello and Rachel Weisz
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
When María Bello replaced Rachel Weisz like Evelyn in the third Mummy movie, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, didn’t cause much of a stir. This was not because Weisz did not return as Evelyn, but because very few people were up to date with the films at the time. After the critical and financial failure of The mummy returns (2001), very few saw the third film and Weisz refused to watch it again. Bello tried his best as a character, but this didn’t change the fact that the film went unnoticed.
5 Fandral: Josh Dallas and Zachary Levi
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Zachary Levi was the first choice to play Fandral thor (2011), but was unable to film due to scheduling conflicts. Joshua Dallas took on the character and became known as the first Fandral. However, for Thor: The Dark World, the roles were reversed and it was Dallas who had the conflicts. Because of this, Levi returned and played Fandral for the next installment of Thor’s story. Since the story doesn’t rely on Fandral being a major role, and the MCU has a large cast of characters to begin with, this casting change had no consequences for the films.
4 Red Skull: Hugo Weaving and Ross Marquand
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Red Skull’s reappearance in Avengers: Infinity War He was an unexpected Easter egg within the film, but it wasn’t the original Hugo Weaving who played him. The fabric was Red Skull in Captain America the First Avenger (2011), but had a dispute with the film for compensation. To avoid this, the studio turned to Ross Marquand as a replacement. With makeup and facial prosthetics the physical difference is almost non-existent. Plus, Marquand does a fantastic job. Matching Weaving’s tone of voice., and embody the character in such an emotional scene. He would be great in a return as Red Skull for the MCU.
3 Griphook: Verne Troyer and Warwick Davis
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (2010)
Warwick Davis replaced Vern Troyer as Griphook, but Davis was always the voice behind the character. In Harry potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Griphook was played physically by Verne Troyer. Griphook plays a pivotal role in the latest installment of the series, and while Troyer did a good job playing both Griphook and Professor Flitwick, the film ultimately decided to hand the role over to Davis. The series attempted to maintain that UK actors played the major roles and that Troyer was American. Griphook plays a small role at the beginning of Harry’s journey, so recasting him didn’t have much effect.
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1 The Oracle: Gloria Foster and Mary Alice
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Matrix Revolutions is the third installment of the series, but The Oracle first appeared played by Gloria Foster in Matrix (1999). The Oracle was recast in the third film because Foster had died before filming began and Mary Alice took up the mantle of the character. The Oracle is a mysterious and otherworldly character within Matrix, and it doesn’t have much air time. Since this was the case, Foster’s recasting was handled with sensitivity and respect, knowing that audiences would take another mystery of the character in stride.