Are There Truly Roles that You Can’t Recast?

[Milk Tray Guy]

Ledger's casting is probably the only time I remember there being some divisiveness upon a casting announcement which turned into unanimous praise once they saw him in the role.

The only other one I can think of is Daniel Craig as Bond.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Not sure you can replace this guy:

 

[Drizzle]

The only other one I can think of is Daniel Craig as Bond.

I was also thinking of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark but I don't seem to recall there being much outrage over his casting. Maybe a little controversial given his trouble with the law in the past but on the other hand it wasn't like Stark was a sacred cow like the Joker back then. In fact, it's easier to recast The Joker than Tony Stark now considering it's happened twice in the last decade.

 

[SameOG86]

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader

 

[Sawyer]

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader

That’s one that hit me the other day. You can bring another younger actor in to play Anakin, but trying to replace James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader will never work. Even with someone great like Idris.

 

[Wheels]

They already do it with good sound-alikes. Experienced voice actor does James Earle Jones. Done.

 

[Iceman]

They already do it with good sound-alikes. Experienced voice actor does James Earle Jones. Done.

I listen to audiobooks all the time and I've heard quite a few who sound like him. Good audiobook narrators don't get the fame but many have the voice. Then you have all the other voice actors to pick from as you say.

 

[Sawyer]

I don’t consider a vocal stand-in to be the same as a recast, though. It’s like saying Loomis was recast in Halloween H20 or the newest Halloween.

An actual recast would probably be a big name in the role, doing their own thing with it.

 

[Wheels]

They won't do that ever. Sawyer wins.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Not sure you can replace this guy:

Although I agree with you...Evil Dead has a cult following, a big one but, the average movie watcher may not even know who Ash is.

 

[jmc]

Once you're the pioneer of a certain character it's very hard for others to come along afterwards. It's not that it can't be done, but the actor who comes next is always going to be in the shadow of the one who started it all.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

Yeah, I don’t think you could recast Rocky. Rambo maybe. But Stallone not only acted the part; he actually created the character. I don’t think another actor could ever fit that part because of how much he put into it.

 

[SameOG86]

Once you're the pioneer of a certain character it's very hard for others to come along afterwards. It's not that it can't be done, but the actor who comes next is always going to be in the shadow of the one who started it all.

I agree. In my opinion Wesley Snipes IS Blade. Sure they’ll recast him but Wesley owned that role.

 

[SameOG86]

Yeah, I don’t think you could recast Rocky. Rambo maybe. But Stallone not only acted the part; he actually created the character. I don’t think another actor could ever fit that part because of how much he put into it.

I agree. He even have his own statue in Philly. Stallone created a character that’s larger than life.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I agree. In my opinion Wesley Snipes IS Blade. Sure they’ll recast him but Wesley owned that role.

Snipes was awesome as Blade. He's certainly going to be a tough act to follow.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I don't know who else here was around when Connery stepped down as Bond but it was a massive thing. Many people thought it was impossible, that the franchise would end. It's difficult to overstate how big a thing that was - if there'd been an internet it would have well and truly 'broken'. Connery was Bond. Of course Bond continued, and we've had some great portrayals since then.

There have been many iconic cinema performances over the years, but the Bond/Connery situation tells me that any role can be recast.

The Bond recasting is an interesting one because it went from, as you say, a total freak out over the role being recast to something that fans just expect after the actor does 4-5 films. I think sometimes it’s just about finding the right replacement. Lazenby wasn’t it (IMO) and I guess even he thought that since he dropped out after one film. But Roger Moore worked. Dalton wasn’t as much of a hit with people (I still think he was underrated) but Brosnan worked fairly well until the invisible car movie. And Craig has overall been amazing and his films have been popular but I remember all the negative crap by some very vocal A-holes online when he was cast (I’m not talking about people who simply didn’t care for the casting; I’m talking about people who made a website where they compared his face to that of a Neanderthal).

Anyway, it’s just kind of fascinating how something went from a role that should never be recast to a thing that Brits regularly take bets on.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I guess it started with James Bond, being a recurring character that seemed to have started it.
He has been recast, what 6 times now? And will again soon.
Batman has been recast, Superman has, etc.

I think the question we should be asking is, what original movies that have iconic characters burned in our memories, that have not been touched yet, would have you in an uproar if they tried to reboot it with another actor in the lead role?

 

[CJ]

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.

 

[Wheels]

The Bond recasting is an interesting one because it went from, as you say, a total freak out over the role being recast to something that fans just expect after the actor does 4-5 films. I think sometimes it’s just about finding the right replacement. Lazenby wasn’t it (IMO) and I guess even he thought that since he dropped out after one film. But Roger Moore worked. Dalton wasn’t as much of a hit with people (I still think he was underrated) but Brosnan worked fairly well until the invisible car movie. And Craig has overall been amazing and his films have been popular but I remember all the negative crap by some very vocal A-holes online when he was cast (I’m not talking about people who simply didn’t care for the casting; I’m talking about people who made a website where they compared his face to that of a Neanderthal).

Anyway, it’s just kind of fascinating how something went from a role that should never be recast to a thing that Brits regularly take bets on.

Lazenby is such a strange case considering the reputation On Her Majesty's Secret Service has now. How many people love Lazenby's Bond? Not a ton of people, and yet the movie itself seems praised to hell and back these days. It's become common to hear people say On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of, if not the best Bond film.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Lazenby is such a strange case considering the reputation On Her Majesty's Secret Service has now. How many people love Lazenby's Bond? Not a ton of people, and yet the movie itself seems praised to hell and back these days. It's become common to hear people say On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of, if not the best Bond film.

Yeah, that’s very true. A lot of people do consider that film to be among the best, yet I’ve yet to meet anyone who names Lazenby as their favorite Bond or even one of their favorites.

 

[Fincher]

I have him at third after Craig and Dalton. Moore is better when he isn't being a goofball, but I'm just not a fan of Connery or Brosnan.

 

[Schlosser85]

Yeah, that’s very true. A lot of people do consider that film to be among the best, yet I’ve yet to meet anyone who names Lazenby as their favorite Bond or even one of their favorites.

I think there's a general feeling that the movie is as good as it is in spite of Lazenby, not because of him.

 

[MilkmanDan]

Yeah, I don’t think you could recast Rocky. Rambo maybe. But Stallone not only acted the part; he actually created the character. I don’t think another actor could ever fit that part because of how much he put into it.

I agree. There's just too much Stallone in Rocky. On the other hand, with Rambo there's pre-existing source material that means it's open for other interpretations. You could, at least in theory, do a remake that's more faithful to the novel "First Blood". One set in the late 60's/early 70's and John Rambo is a seemingly unassuming young man fairly fresh out of the war that small town sheriffs mistake for just another pothead drifter.

 

[Drizzle]

Although I agree with you...Evil Dead has a cult following, a big one but, the average movie watcher may not even know who Ash is.

Replacing Bruce Campbell as Ash would probably result in a Nightmare on Elm Street remake situation. Jackie Earle Haley is a great actor and there wasn't anything particularly wrong with his Freddy Krueger, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Robert Englund's iconic Freddy. Ten years later, the Nightmare on Elm Street remake has been all but forgotten. I'd expect the same thing for an Evil Dead remake with anyone but Bruce Campbell as Ash. Even the 2013 reboot knew they had to bring him in for a cameo.

 

[SameOG86]

Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven & Johnny Utah