Casting an important movierole is never easy, and sometimes the process of finding the best actor for a given role continues even after production or filming has officially begun. The entertainment industry can often be a turbulent one, with the typical professional rules for hiring and firing often being thrown out the window in favor of last-minute changes. Some of themost iconic movie castingsever have often been the result of last-minute changes to the call sheet that only come into play long after the first scene has been shot.
There are many reasons why a film set might make the decision to recast a major character halfway through production.In some cases, things like scheduling conflicts create logistical nightmares that ultimately aren’t worth it, but adirector’s artistic visioncan sometimes clash with the final performance given by a previously chosen actor. Tragically, unforeseeable events like the professional cancelation or even death of an actor can complicate production mid-way through, necessitating an unfortunate recast.
10Back To The Future
Recast Marty McFly
TheBack to the Futuremoviesare positively carried by the chemistry between Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown and Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly, crafting one of the best mentor-student relationships ever seen in film. This truth extends to the first film, in which Doc Brown and Marty discover the power of their DeLorean-based time travel machine for the first time.
Should Back to the Future: The Musical be made into a movie?
Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis has stated that he would be interested in being a part of one more Back to the Future movie - a film adaptation of the Back to the Future musical. There has been a growing trend of stage shows making it to the big screen, recently including Mean Girls and Wicked. These versions of the movie include massive musical performances. The Back to the Future stage show has been receiving great reviews and would be sure to find an audience among musical theater fans and fans of the trilogy. Zemeckis claims that he has tried to pitch the idea to Universal, but “they don’t get it.” That said, if Wicked pulls in great numbers, which I assume they will, there is a chance Back to the Future: The Musical could become a feature film. I, for one, would go see it.
This makes it all the harder to believe that it was very nearly someone else who wore Marty’s iconic red vest and self-tying futuristic kicks. Michael J.Fox was indeed the first choice for the role of Marty,but scheduling conflicts with his TV seriesFamily Tiesinitially forbade him from enteringBack to the Future’s production schedule.
Back to the Future
“Back to the Future” is a science fiction adventure franchise that follows the time-traveling adventures of Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown. Created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the series is known for its clever use of time travel, memorable characters, and iconic DeLorean time machine. The franchise explores themes of causality, destiny, and the impact of individual actions on the future. Its blend of humor, heart, and innovative storytelling has made it a beloved classic in film history.
Eric Stoltz was hired as a second choice, but upon seeing him on set, director Robert Zemeckis couldn’t deny that Stoltz’s serious demeanor wasn’t a good fit for his vision of Marty.In the end, Zemeckis ensured that Fox’s schedule could be worked around to allow him to star as the one and only Marty McFly, a high-stakes creative decision that more than paid off.
9Paddington
Recast Paddington
Movies featuring animated characters often provide an extended window for recast opportunities to occur, with the final look and feel of a CGI character’s voice-over only finalizing in post-production.As such, it often isn’t until well after production is underway that creative decisions can be revised, even if it means finding a new actor to provide an important voice-over. Such was the case withPaddington,the adorable, heartwarming story of a fuzzy talking bear who is adopted by a British family.
Paddington
ThePaddingtonfranchise is a beloved film and television series based on the character Paddington Bear, created by British author Michael Bond. The franchise began with the 2014 filmPaddington, which follows the adventures of a polite Peruvian bear who finds a home with the Brown family in London. The series is known for its heartwarming storytelling, charming humor, and its themes of kindness, family, and adventure. The success of the films has led to sequels, a television series, and an upcoming third film, making Paddington a staple of modern family entertainment.
Colin Firth was the initial choice for Paddington’s voice, giving him the dignified air of a proper English gentleman. However, early drafts didn’t look upon this decision favorably, with Firth’s vocal performance seeming too stuffy for the fun-loving marmalade miser. Firth eventually voluntarily stepped down from the role, acknowledging that he wasn’t the perfect fit for the lovable ursine scamp. This allowed Ben Whishaw to step in, providing the perfect Goldilocks balance of fun, nervousness, and tenderness that carriedPaddingtonand its beloved sequel.
8Predator
Recast The Predator
When it comes to the cast ofPredator,iconic 80s action movie names frequently come to mind, with the star-studded squadron of Carl Weathers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jesse Ventura making up an unforgettable roster. Butthe identity of the Predator himself is less of a conversation,even though martial arts movie legend Jean-Claude Van Damme was initially set to lend his impressive skills to the fearsome Yautja hunter in the original flick.
Predator
Cast
A team of elite commandos led by Major Dutch Schaefer is sent on a rescue mission deep in the Central American jungle. However, they soon find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior with advanced technology and a penchant for collecting human trophies. As the creature picks them off one by one, Dutch must rely on his wits and combat skills to survive the ultimate test of man versus alien.
The then-unproven action star signed on toPredatorhoping it would give him a chance to show off somesignature Van Damme martial arts moves, only to learn that the confining suit not only concealed his face, but limited his movement.Not only that, but the original Predator outfit was stiflingly hot, causing Van Damme to even pass out on set.Dissatisfied with the circumstances of playing the Predator, Van Damme took his leave midway through production, prompting an apt replacement by the 7' 2" Kevin Peter Hall, who killed the alien hunter’s bodily movements.
7V For Vendetta
Recast V
The Predator isn’t the only iconic masked movie character that was subject to a recast midway through filming.Adapting Alan Moore’s famous comic book of the same name,V for Vendettasought an actor for the titular V, a masked anarchist vigilante who hunts down the elites of his world’s corrupt British government. Initially, James Purefoy, known forThe Following, Rome, andAltered Carbon, made perfect sense for V, able to flex his penchant for antihero characters in the starring role.
Despite shooting out a majority of V’s scenes, Purefoy ended up leaving the project in the middle of production, halting work onV for Vendetta.While the actor initially cited the uncomfortable nature of the character’s Guy Fawkes mask, Purefoy eventually admitted to creative differences in how V should be portrayed being at the heart of his exit.While Hugo Weaving took over as V, the disguised nature of the character allowed for the final cut to retain some shots in which Purefoy is actually the one under the mask.
6Shrek
Recast Shrek
For films that are entirely animated, recasting a major character might be slightly easier than doing the same for a live-action film, but it’s still an incredibly impactful event that can delay production.Over the course ofthe variousShrekmovies, the titular onion-loving ogre has become a pop culture phenomenon, with Mike Myer’s signature Scottish accent exploding into fame along with him.This makes it all the harder to believe that the character was actually created with a very different comic actor in mind, Chris Farley ofSaturday Night Livefame.
Shrek
The Shrek franchise is a beloved animated series that began in 2001, centering around an ogre named Shrek who lives in a swamp and embarks on various adventures with a cast of quirky and memorable characters. The franchise is known for its humor, parodies of fairy tales, and heartwarming themes about friendship, love, and self-acceptance. The success of the first film led to multiple sequels, spin-offs, and television specials, making Shrek a pop culture icon.
While some rough footage of Farley’s performance as Shrek was put together in animation, the lauded comedy darling sadly passed away in 1997, having recorded most, but not all of his dialogue for the film.Thus, Dreamworks had to pivot to Mike Myers for Shrek, doing an iteration of his Scottish accent developed for hisAustin Powersside-character, Fat Bastard. It’s fascinating to see just how differentShrekwould’ve been with Farley behind the reins of the eponymous ogre rather than Myers.
5Panic Room
Recast Meg Altman
A chilling home invasion thriller from the genius mind of David Fincher,Panic Roomis a highly-regarded star vehicle for Jodie Foster, who plays a well-to-do mother who ends up trapped with her daughter in her new home’s extensive safe room during a tense burglary. Jodie Foster lends a real weight to the character, who might’ve ended up forgettable in lesser hands.However, Foster wasn’t Fincher’s first pick for Meg Altman, with Nicole Kidman actually helming the protagonist when production started.
Panic Room
Panic Room is a thriller directed by David Fincher, featuring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter trapped in their home’s secure panic room during a violent home invasion. As they seek safety, the intruders pursue their own hidden agenda centered on the room.
After only two weeks into filming, Kidman aggravated a knee injury she had sustained on the set ofMoulin Rouge,which turned out to be quite a serious fracture.Thus, Kidman had to retire from the action-heavy role, prompting Fincher to replace her with Jodie Foster.Meg’s recasting prompted Fincher to substantially rewrite her character to better suit Foster’s personality, aligning her closer to her tomboy daughter, making for an ultimately stronger mother-daughter bond and a more compelling film.
4Army Of The Dead
Recast Peters
An underrated picture inZack Snyder’s filmography,Army of the Deadwas filmed during the peak of COVID-19 restrictions in the wake of the 2020 pandemic.As such, it’s no wonder the film suffered from some substantial production issues, including a recast of a relatively major character in the combination zombie movie and heist flick. Originally, the helicopter pilot Peters was played by comedian and actor Chris D’Elia, who had fully completed filming as the movie entered post-production.
Army of the Dead
Inspired by the works of George A. Romero and John A. Russo, Army of the Dead is a multimedia franchise helmed by Zack Snyder. The series centers on various mercenaries and bystanders who must endure the chaos of an undead apocalypse, beginning with the first film, where the cast must perform a dangerous heist in the heart of a zombie-infested Las Vegas.
Unfortunately for Zack Snyder, some very serious sexual assault and grooming allegations quickly surfaced regarding D’Elia shortly after filming had wrapped.This prompted Snyder to film replacement scenes, with deadpan comic Tig Notaro taking over the role of the intrepid helicopter pilot.Due to extensive industry restrictions caused by COVID-19 making a genuine re-shoot all but impossible, Notaro was actually filmed separately and digitally imposed into the final product with CGI, retroactively replacing D’Elia’s performance.
3Her
Recast Samantha
An unconventional love story,Herexplores the natural conclusion of finding love in a futuristic world when a lonely young man, played by Joaquin Phoenix, falls in love with an artificial intelligence named Samantha. Being a totally disembodied, incorporeal character with no humanoid body, Samantha presented an interesting challenge to director Spike Jonze. Getting the voice right for Samantha would be crucial to the success of the film, considering the audience is asked to believe that Phoenix’s Theodore falls in love with her from conversation alone.
Unfortunately, after filming had initially wrapped, Jonze later decided that Samantha’s initial voice, the British actress Samantha Morton, wasn’t synchronous with his creative vision for the story.This led to Samantha being recast as Scarlet Johansson, who re-recorded every single line of the A.I. program in the entire script.This decision certainly paid off, with Johansson’s sultry tones commonly cited as one of the film’s most alarming strengths.
2The Lovely Bones
Recast Jack Salmon
A little-known entry inPeter Jackson’s accomplished filmography,The Lovely Bonesisn’t the highest-rated of theLord of the Ringsdirector’s works.Adapting the novel of the same name, the supernatural drama follows the story of a little girl who is cruelly murdered, only for her spirit to watch her obsessive father attempt to catch her killer from the afterlife, torn between helping him take revenge and allowing him to move on. Industry darling Ryan Gosling initially took the role of the aforementioned father, Jack Salmon, getting as far as showing up to set.
The Lovely Bones
After her murder, fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon watches over her family, friends, and killer from the “In-Between.” Her family and community grieve her death and try to find justice for Susie. Meanwhile, Susie struggles to move on to the afterlife while lacking closure in both her life and her murder.
Much to Peter Jackson’s chagrin, Gosling had already taken it upon himself to do some permanent character work for Jack Salmon, putting on a whopping 60 pounds for the role.Jackson disagreed with this creative decision, made without his consultation, unceremoniously firing Gosling shortly before filming began. After a brief delay, Mark Wahlberg was chosen to take over the role. Perhaps Gosling was on to something and would’ve been a better fit after all, considering the negative reviews received byThe Lovely Bones.
1All The Money In The World
Recast J. Paul Getty
Few actors have fallen from grace as hard as Kevin Spacey, once a distinguished performer ubiquitous with prestige drama and tense action thrillers in Hollywood.After the shocking allegations regarding Spacey’s sexual misconduct and assault came out in 2017, most filmmakers rightfully wanted nothing to do with him, causing Spacey to lose out on a wide variety of upcoming roles. One such project,All the Money in the World,had actually been completely shot out in its entirety after the news broke. The film depicted the real-life kidnapping of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty’s grandson.
All the Money in the World
Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World is a crime thriller based on the real-life kidnapping of John Paul Getty III in 1973. The film follows Getty’s mother, Gail (Michelle Williams), as she tries to convince his grandfather, the billionaire J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer, replacing Kevin Spacey), to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
In light of Spacey’s abhorrent actions, director Ridley Scott was prompted to completely re-shoot all of J. Paul Getty’s scenes, bringing in Christopher Plummer as a replacement, who was actually Ridley Scott’s first choice for the role in the first place. Though this devastating blow to the production cost upwards of 10 million dollars, the moral security of removing Spacey from the picture was more than worth the moral security. Not only that, but Plummer’s new take on Getty resulted in some rave reviews for the finished movie, even earning an Academy Award for his thoughtful performance.
