As reboots of popular franchises continue to get made, audiences are seeing more actors take on roles that had previously belonged to someone else. Sometimes, a franchise has so much trouble getting off the ground that it needs to be rebooted more than once. This leads to actors losing out on the opportunity of continue leading a franchise, even if they may have turned in a good performance.
There are a lot of factors determining a film's success outside of a single actor's performance. One great example is the poorly marketed Birds of Prey film, which suffered at the box office despite Margot Robbie's indelible take on Harley Quinn. However, studios often aren't too likely to take a chance on a sequel to a movie that performs poorly, which usually leads to a reboot - or even a major casting shakeup for a direct sequel.
These actors may have been great in the roles they played; some are even fan favorites. But due to reasons outside of their control, they lost out on their franchise roles and had to watch other actors take over in their place.
Ron Perlman was a perfect choice to play Hellboy in Guillermo del Toro's superhero adventures, Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He brought a lot of fun energy to the role, absolutely nailing the unlikely hero's cantankerous nature. Despite both movies being commercial and critical successes, the long rumored third film never ended up getting made. Instead, a reboot starring David Harbour was released in 2019.
The reboot failed to recreate the success of the first two films, and although Harbour was given some praise for his performance in the role, it just didn't live up to Perlman's previous work. One can't help think the rights-owners would have been better off simply making Hellboy 3, especially since Perlman said he was still up for it around the time the reboot was made.
Replaced too soon?Henry Cavill's version of Superman suffered a lot due to the way he was written and directed. The DCEU's Clark Kent was broody, often angry, and didn't feel distinct enough from Batman to introduce the contrast that could have made Batman v. Superman interesting. While Cavill has proven himself to be capable of playing a more classic charming hero, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. being a good example, he wasn't allowed to bring that energy to his Superman performance due to the Zack Snyder-inflicted tone of films like Man of Steel.
Perhaps if Cavill had been given the standalone sequel that had originally been planned, instead of DC rushing to catch up to Marvel's connected universe, this version of Superman could have found a stronger identity. Unfortunately, the DCEU proved to be a failed experiment, and the company is now rebooting its shared universe under the direction of new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn himself is bringing Kal-el back to the screen with Superman: Legacy, with up-and-comer David Corenswet taking over the title role and leading DC's new cinematic universe.
Replaced too soon?In the late ‘90s and early ’00s, Morgan Freeman starred in two films based on James Patterson's Alex Cross novels. Although both films, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, were commercial successes, the series was put on ice after just two books were adapted. This could be due to the critical panning of the second film. Freeman was replaced by Tyler Perry when Alex Cross, a reboot of the franchise, was made in 2012.
Despite critics having unkind things to say about both of the earlier films, many also pointed out that Freeman's performance as the widowed detective was the best part of either film. Since Perry was nominated for the Worst Actor Razzie for his Alex Cross movie - and none of the planned sequels to his incarnation were ever made - it's safe to say the recast didn't work out in the franchise's favor.
Replaced too soon?Although Batman Returns is fondly remembered nowadays, Warner Bros. wasn't so keen on it at the time. According to Tim Burton, the studio thought that the film was too weird and alienated family-friendly sponsors like McDonald's. This led to Burton being pushed out of the third live-action Batman movie and replaced by Joel Schumacher.
Michael Keaton, who had starred in Burton's first two Batman movies, decided to step back from the role when the franchise headed in a creative direction that he wasn't too keen on. While it was ultimately Keaton's decision to leave, it's hard to really say he was responsible. After all, he was on board to return for a third film while Burton was still slated to direct; WB's decision to switch things up was ultimately to blame for Keaton's departure.
Replaced too soon?Rooney Mara had some big shoes to fill following Noomi Rapace's excellent portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish adaptations of Swedish author Stieg Larsson's Millennium series of novels. And Mara pulled it off, differentiating herself in David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by playing with a more quiet vulnerability than her predecessor, a strong choice that paid off well. Originally, Mara was going to play the role for two more films, but the sequels got stuck in development hell and ended up being completely reworked.
After the focus of the sequel was changed, the film's new director, Fede Álvarez, decided to change the entire cast to make the film more of his own creative vision as opposed to a traditional sequel to Fincher's prior film. Mara was recast and Claire Foy took over the role of Lisbeth Salander. The sequel/soft reboot focused more heavily on the action aspects of its source material, abandoning a lot of the more complex elements that made the first movie so memorable.
Replaced too soon?The Punisher is an interesting case because each actor who has played Frank Castle this century has done a pretty good job in the role. Dolph Lundgren played the part in a mostly forgotten 1989 film, before superhero movies as a genre had really come of age. In the contemporary, superhero-saturated landscape, Thomas Jane was the first one to play the role in 2004's The Punisher. Not only does he have the right look for Castle, but was able to communicate the deep pain that motivates his violent actions.
Although a sequel involving Jane was planned for The Punisher, creative differences arose between the actor and the film's new screenwriter, leading to Jane pulling out of the sequel. The sequel was reworked into a reboot, Punisher: War Zone, with Jane being replaced in the title role by the late Ray Stevenson. Stevenson himself would be later recast, as Jon Bernthal took over for The Punisher TV shows and associated Marvel series.
Replaced too soon?
