16 Times When Directors Didn’t Know How to Attract Viewers and Decided to Change Actors
The characters of movies and series are firmly associated with the actors that portrayed them. But because our lives are unpredictable, creators sometimes have to replace the actors we’ve come to love. Even though we sometimes don’t even notice it, in most cases, the fans of the franchises or shows feel really disappointed.
1. Johnny Depp vs Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald (Fantastic Beasts).
The Warner Bros. management asked Johnny Depp to turn down the role of Grindelwald due to a series of scandals around his divorce. The role of the dark wizard went to Mads Mikkelsen. The actor nailed the role. Many critics thought that he was probably even better than Depp.
2. Hugo Weaving vs Jonathan Groff as agent Smith (The Matrix).
In 2008, Empire named the main antagonist of The Matrix franchise as one of the 100 greatest movie characters of all time. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened without Hugo Weaving. But he couldn’t appear in The Matrix Resurrections due to scheduling problems.
So, Jonathan Groff, whom you might know from Mindhunter, was cast. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as good as Hugo. This is what critics said about him, “It’s a handsome Broadway actor pretending, unconvincingly, to be a bad guy.”
3. William Hurt vs Harrison Ford as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (MCU).
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the role of the creator and villain of Hulk, General Thaddeus, was played by William Hurt. After he passed away, Harrison Ford was cast.
We will see the great actor in this role in 2024, after Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts are released. The fans of the universe believe that if such a big star was invited, he is going to turn into Red Hulk (Rulk).
4. Tom Ellis vs Sean Maguire as Robin Hood (Once Upon a Time).
Tom Ellis appeared as Robin Hood only in 1 episode of the second season. It’s not known why, but there was a contract only for 1 episode with this actor. When the creators wanted to renew it, they found that Ellis was already busy in other shows, so Sean Maguire got the role.
5. Laura Benanti vs Erica Durance as Alura Zor-El (Supergirl).
For 2 seasons, the role of the main character in Supergirl was played by Laura Benanti. She even got a Saturn nomination for her work. But in July 2017, it was announced that she wasn’t returning due to her schedule, and the role of Alura would go to the star of Smallville, Erica Durance.
6. John Shepherd vs Thom Mathews as Tommy Jarvis (Friday the 13th).
Tommy Jarvis appears in 3 movies of the 12 and is an integral part of the story. This character first appears as a teenager, played by Corey Feldman, and then grows into a young man.
Adult Tommy was played by John Shepherd, but he didn’t want to do it again because he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue his acting career. The role went to Thom Mathews. The fans liked him so much that he was invited to voice the character in Friday the 13th: The Game.
7. Henry Cavill vs Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia.
When Henry Cavill was cast for the role of Geralt, not all the fans liked this choice. Three years later, the actor is leaving the show and passing down the role to Liam Hemsworth, and the fans are super annoyed.
Despite the official reason — Cavill is returning to the role of Superman and can’t do both jobs— the fans think something different might have happened, so they keep signing petitions, asking Cavill to return.
8. Nick Jonas vs Jordan Masterson as Ryan Vogelson (Last Man Standing).
Showrunners often hire stars to appear in episodes to support their interest in the show. So, when Nick Jonas appeared in Last Man Standing, nobody expected such a big star to remain in the project. When the production of season 2 started, Ryan Vogelson became the main character, played by Jordan Masterson.
9. Florencia Lozano vs Margaret Colin as Eleanor Waldorf (Gossip Girl).
When Florencia Lozano appeared in the Gossip Girl pilot, she was 37 years old. And her on-screen daughter, Leighton Meester, was 21. The age difference wasn’t big enough for the viewers to believe they were mother and daughter. So, Eleanor Waldorf was played by Margaret Colin, who was 49 years old when she first appeared in the series.
10. Peter Sellers vs Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau (The Pink Panther).
For many people, English comedian Peter Sellers will always remain the awkward and incompetent inspector from The Pink Panther. He appeared in 6 movies out of 11. After his death, the studio needed a lot of time to find an actor that could handle such an iconic character.
None of the invited stars could stay in the franchise for more than 1 film. And only when Steve Martin was cast, the fans hoped for the return of the inspector. But the next film with Martin wasn’t very successful, and the actor didn’t return to the role.
11. Wesley Snipes vs Omar Epps as Willie Mays Hayes (Major League).
Actor Wesley Snipes is a well-known action star, and the Blade trilogy is his most popular project. But at the start of his career, he showed his comedic talent when he starred in Major League as Willie Mays Hayes. The comedy was a resounding success and earned very good money. But the producers waited 5 years to make a sequel.
Snipes became an actor who played cool guys, and he didn’t want to return to the comedic role. So, Omar Epps was cast, and he was okay with playing athletes and difficult teenagers at the beginning of his career.
12. Ruby Rose vs Wallis Day as Batwoman (Batwoman).
Ruby Rose left the series after season 1 and didn’t explain why. She later said she had a back injury, was allergic to the latex the mask was made of, and that the atmosphere on set was unsafe and unbearable. Only after all these accusations, the studio decided to explain that they didn’t renew the contract due to the actress’ behavior at work.
So, Wallis Day was cast, and the changes in appearance and voice were explained by the plane crash and the plastic surgeries that followed.
13. Joseph Sanders vs Elias Janssen as Mateo (Jane the Virgin).
The viewers liked the charming Mateo, the son of the main character, played by Joseph Sanders. However, after season 4, the mother of the actor said it was time for him to focus on his education. The showrunners cast Elias Janssen. The boy had been on the show before, he played Rafael, the father of Mateo, in his early childhood.
14. Rowan Blanchard vs Alexis G. Zall as Jackie Geary (The Goldbergs).
Rowan Blanchard, who played Jackie Geary, Adam’s school love, decided to leave the series after season 5. She thought that her career was just starting and she needed to move on, instead of clinging to supporting roles. Now, she’s on the post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer. She’s one of the main characters in the show.
Because The Goldbergs is partially autobiographical, the producers couldn’t just drop the character, so they cast a beginner actress, Alexis G. Zall, to play the girlfriend of the main character.
15. Lesley Sharp vs Miranda Richardson as Rosalind Hale (Fate: The Winx Saga).
Lesley Sharp had to drop the role of the villain, the ex-principal of the magic school, after the first season. She had some other projects she needed to work on. So, English star Miranda Richardson replaced her.
16. Parker Corno vs Cameron Crovetti as Ryan (The Boys).
Many viewers were surprised by the sudden change of the actor who played Homelander’s son. Parker Corno looked more like his on-screen son than Cameron Crovetti.
But the thing is, the actor is going to have a more active role in the show. Now he knows that his father is a superhero, and he has powers too. So, they were afraid that an inexperienced actor like Parker wouldn’t be able to handle the role.
What actor in a movie or a series would you like to see replaced with someone else? Tell us in the comment section below!