Recasting is a difficult process, but at times inevitable. During the filming of series or the next part of a movie actors often have to be replaced, and the reasons are various. For example: death, disagreements between actors and studios, dissatisfaction regarding actors’ performance or just someone’s unwillingness to continue the filming.
There are also remakes in which the whole cast is changed, therefore one character can be played badly compared to the original version.
Let’s look at the examples where two different actors portrayed the same character, but, as it was noted by critics and viewers, a new version lagged behind an old one.
1. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Change: Maria Bello instead of Rachel Weisz as Evelyn O’Connell.
2. Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002)
Change: Mike Weinberg instead of Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister.
3. Terminator Genisys (2015)
Change: Emilia Clarke instead of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor.
4. Asterix at the Olympic (2008)
Change: Clovis Cornillac instead of Christian Clavier as Asterix.
5. Magnificent Century (2011-2014)
Change: Vahide Perçin instead of Meriem Userli as Hurrem Sultan.
6. Scarlett (1994)
Change: Joanne Whalley instead of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara.
7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Change: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley instead of Megan Fox as the main character’s friend.
Let’s face it, in most cases bad recasting in the following movies wasn’t really the only problem. Often the film itself isn’t quite nice, so the poor performance of actors just make it more conspicuous.
8. Catwoman (2004)
Change: Halle Berry instead of Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.
The story is different, but the character is the same. However, the important thing is choosing an actor that won’t seem like a pale shadow of the predecessor.
Here is another example of the same kind — Jared Leto, who was chosen to play the role of Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). The film was released after 8 years since The Dark Knight’s release, so Joker Leto looked to people absolutely ridiculous compared to the versions of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger.
9. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Change: Vladimir Furdik instead of Richard Brake as The Night King.
10. RoboCop 3 (1993)
Change: Robert John Burke instead of Peter Weller as Alex Murphy.
11. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Change: Jesse Eisenberg instead of Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.
The only example on this list where the new film got a significantly higher rating than the previous one (however, hasn’t even made it to seven points). Nevertheless, critics and viewers said the same thing: Jesse Eisenberg, instead of playing Luthor’s role, for some reason began portraying Joker.
12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Change: Michael Gambon instead of Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore.
Many noted that before his death Richard Harris was the canonical book character.
Bonus: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 (2022)
Future change: Mads Mikkelsen instead of Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald.
Community has already taken this news badly, but meanwhile many believe that Mads Mikkelsen is more than prepared to handle this role. The fan discontent is more related to the circumstances due to which Depp had to leave the franchise.
