Five actors who were not asked back for the sequel
Making a sequel to a popular movie looks easy on paper. Just take the same characters that everybody loved the first time around, get them to do something else, and watch the money come pouring in. Sadly, as Hollywood has found out over the years, it isn’t always that simple.
One of the biggest problems faced by sequel-makers is when an actor who played such a key role in the first film refuses to come back. We’re not saying Speed 2: Cruise Control would have been a success if Keanu Reeves had been involved, but it might have at least been a bit better.
Sometimes, though, actors have no say in the matter. The powers that be go above their heads and, without consulting them at all, cast somebody else in the role that they helped make famous.
A few of these examples are extremely justifiable, such as instances of abusive behaviour in the actor’s personal or professional life. Some of them are just plain mean, though, an example of the cutthroat world of showbusiness.
Rachel Weisz – ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ (Rob Cohen, 2008)
When a character is recast in a movie or TV show, the done thing is to just ignore it and carry on like they were the same person the entire time. Sadly, nobody told this to the scriptwriters on The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The third instalment in the Brendan Fraser-led series, this adventure transports the O’Connell family to China to battle a revived warlord. Fraser’s character Rick is joined by his grown-up son Alex (Luke Ford), his brother-in-law Jonathan (John Hannah), and his wife Evelyn, who had previously been portrayed by Racehl Weisz.
Unfortunately for marital bliss, Weisz was unavailable. She had just given birth and was still in recovery, so plans were made to replace her. She also claims that she never even got a chance to look at the script, as she was too busy with other projects. Maria Bello ended up taking over the role and, as referenced earlier, confronted the switch head-on. In an early scene in the film, Evelyn is being interviewed about a fictional character that is supposedly based on her. Bello, with a knowing look, raises her head and says “Honestly, I can say she’s a completely different person.” Subtle.
Bill Murray – ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’ (McG, 2003)
For as much as we all love Bill Murray as a performer, he has a highly questionable history as a human being. He is notoriously difficult to work with, having fallen out with just about everyone he’s ever worked with. He famously had a fistfight with Chevy Chase during their SNL days and only reconciled with Harold Ramis in the final years of his life, after he and his Ghostbusters co-star argued on the set of Groundhog Day. Then there’s his time on the 2000 film adaptation of Charlie’s Angels, which is riddled with tales of bad behaviour.
Murray, who plays the titular trio’s handler John Bosley, repeatedly butted heads with his co-star Lucy Liu. He reportedly literally butted heads with the director McG, who claims he was physically assaulted by the famous funnyman. Murray denies that this ever happened.
This might explain why Bosley’s character was written out of the sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. A new character played by Bernie Mac was brought in, and Murray’s only contribution to the sequel was in the form of archival footage. He probably still found a way to cause an on-set argument, even though he wasn’t even there.
Shia LaBeouf – ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (James Mangold, 2023)
When the ‘Indiana Jones’ series was rebooted (for the first time) in 2008, fans wondered what changes their whip-wielding hero had undergone in his long absence. The main thing he had gained – apart from some grey hairs and wrinkles – was an annoying son. Shia LaBeouf was cast as ‘Mutt’ Williams, who was later revealed to be Henry Jones III, the offspring of the good doctor and his estranged love interest Marion Ravenwood.
There were tentative plans to have LaBeouf lead the next film, with Harrison Ford serving as a supporting character not unlike Sean Connery in The Last Crusade. Sadly, real life had other plans.
In the years between Mutt’s introduction and the next film in the series, The Dial of Destiny, LaBeouf’s public image disintegrated faster than Walter Donovan’s face. Years of bizarre behaviour and accusations of increasingly disturbing nature left him virtually unhirable and, as a result, he was left off the call sheet for ‘Indy 5’. The movie used this to its advantage, revealing that Mutt had died during the Vietnam War and had caused a rift between his parents. This wasn’t enough to save the movie, however, which, much like LaBeouf’s personal life, was a complete disaster.
Sean Young – ‘Blade Runner 2049<em>’ </em>(Denis Villeneuve, 2017)
Sticking with Harrison Ford, this omission from Blade Runner 2049 left one star feeling thoroughly disrespected. Sean Young plays Rachael in Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi game-changer. A replicant with a very powerful sense of humanity, Rachael plays a key role in not just the first movie, but also its long-gestating sequel. Blade Runner 2049 centres around the child conceived between Deckard and Rachael, believed to be the first replicant born by conventional means. You’d think this would set Young up for a major role, right? Think again.
It is revealed that Rachael died during childbirth, so her character is almost entirely absent from Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up. She does appear as a digitally-recreated version of her younger self, created by the film’s villain to tempt Deckard into cooperating. This really rubbed Young up the wrong way.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, she described this decision as “full of shit” and claimed she was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement about her ‘cameo’ in the film. While an older Ford got to play a major role in the legacy sequel (and was undoubtedly paid handsomely for it), Young was essentially told that they wanted her character to be involved but that she wasn’t good enough anymore.
Edward Norton – ‘The Avengers’ (Joss Whedon, 2012)
Prior to the version of Bruce Banner we all know and love today, two actors had taken on the role of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in major films. The first was Eric Bana, who played the character in Ang Lee’s fascinating film Hulk. Then there’s Edward Norton, who was this close to embodying the superhero for an entire generation of fans. The Fight Club star fronted the second-ever entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. He didn’t do a bad job squaring off against Tim Roth’s Abomination (that’s the name of the character, not my opinion on him), but backstage rumblings were afoot.
Various sources claim various reasons why Norton never turned green again. Marvel issued a statement saying they wanted an actor who “embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.” Norton’s agent expressed displeasure with this answer, with the actor himself saying it was his choice to walk away. As we all know, Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for the Hulk’s next appearance, which just so happened to be the massively successful The Avengers. That performance changed Ruffalo’s life and would have done the same for Norton had other powers not conspired against him.
