Worst Cases of Miscasting

[That-Guy]

Okay so, what are some films that could have been great if they had simply cast someone else in the lead role (or a lead role)? Here are some that spring to mind for me...

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - This was such a great looking film, and it gave us the best Sherriff of Nottingham EVER in Alan Rickman. Too bad Kevin Costner's apparently American Robin Hood stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Happening - Okay, the overall idea of this movie feels a little silly, but I still think it could have worked if they didn't cast Mark Wahlberg as a mild-mannered science teacher. It wasn't a very tough role to play, but somehow Wahlberg managed to miss the mark in every single scene he was in. His line delivery and deer-caught-in-headlights expression NEVER changed throughout the entire movie.

 

[SPIDER-MAN-ROX]

Ghost Rider might have been a tad bit better had they not went with Nicholos Cage as Johnny Blaze.

 

[That-Guy]

Argh... yeah, good one. At least as far as lead actors in superhero films, I think that takes the cake. I remember when Cage was first announced, I thought to myself, "I don't know about this... but I'll be optimistic." Then I saw the movie and cursed myself for having even a sliver of hope.

 

[DorkyFresh]

Justin Chatwin as Goku in Dragonball Evolution. THE worst casting in the history of film adaptations bar none....nuff said.

 

[That-Guy]

Chatwin sucks. I remember being super-pissed when it was revealed that he survived at the end of War of the Worlds. That film sucked anyway, but it could have redeemed itself a little by killing him off.

Others...

Van Damme - Guile in Street Fighter (just... painful)

Tyler Hilton as Elvis Presley in Walk the Line (loved the movie, but Hilton didn't look, act or sound like Elvis AT ALL)

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane

Jennifer Garner as Elektra

Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face

Hayden Christensen AND Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker

Adam Sandler as an NFL quarterback in The Longest Yard

 

[Figs]

Chatwin sucks. I remember being super-pissed when it was revealed that he survived at the end of War of the Worlds. That film sucked anyway, but it could have redeemed itself a little by killing him off.

Others...

Van Damme - Guile in Street Fighter (just... painful)

Tyler Hilton as Elvis Presley in Walk the Line (loved the movie, but Hilton didn't look, act or sound like Elvis AT ALL)

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane

Jennifer Garner as Elektra

Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face

Hayden Christensen AND Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker

Adam Sandler as an NFL quarterback in The Longest Yard

I agree with most of those except for Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. I think with a director who took the material seriously like Burton and Nolan, Jones would have done just fine.

 

[Matt]

Heath Ledger as the Joker.

 

[wobbly]

John Wayne as Genghis Khan (yes, it's true) in "The Conquerer".

 

[wobbly]

Jessica Alba as Susan Storm....

 

[That-Guy]

I agree with most of those except for Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. I think with a director who took the material seriously like Burton and Nolan, Jones would have done just fine.

You might be right. I'm not the biggest Jones fan, but perhaps he might have been okay if the script and direction hadn't been schlock. I still think that he was a bit too old for the role, even back then.

 

[That-Guy]

John Wayne as Genghis Khan (yes, it's true) in "The Conquerer".

I really need to see that movie now. That sounds so wrong it's hilarious.

On that note, I would add Mickey Rooney's racist-as-hell performance as an Asian landlord in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Ghost Rider might have been a tad bit better had they not went with Nicholos Cage as Johnny Blaze.

Nobody would've worked in that script. Then again, I don't think Ghost Rider was a good movie to make anyway, as the character pretty much relies on his look, more than story.

 

[Nirvana]

Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi.

 

[wobbly]

I really need to see that movie now. That sounds so wrong it's hilarious.

Here you go:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1483424283545832821

 

[Alchemyst]

Street Fighter:

Damien Chapa as Ken
Bryan Mann as Ryu
Van Damme as Guile

King of Fighters:

Even though this movie is currently in production

Sean Faris as Kyo Kusanagi
Maggie Q as Mai Shiranui

Dragonball Evolution:

Justin Chatwin as Goku

Batman and Robin

George Clooney as Batman
Arnold as Mr. Freeze
Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy

 

[Heisenberg]

Keanu Reeves in Dracula.

 

[wobbly]

Keanu Reeves in Dracula.

And Constantine.

 

[wobbly]

George Clooney as Batman
Arnold as Mr. Freeze
Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy

In fairness to George I think he could have been fine as Batman had he not been lumbered with such a god-awful script: Even Christian Bale would have looked awful in the role with the direction and script that B&R served up.

For me, of the 3 Batmen before Bale, Kilmer was the most miscast. Next would be Keaton (too short by far), and Clooney would have been the best (imo).

 

[The Joker]

Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy

There was nothing wrong with casting Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. With a proper script she'd have made a brilliant Poison Ivy, IMO.

 

[That-Guy]

In fairness to George I think he could have been fine as Batman had he not been lumbered with such a god-awful script: Even Christian Bale would have looked awful in the role with the direction and script that B&R served up.

For me, of the 3 Batmen before Bale, Kilmer was the most miscast. Next would be Keaton (too short by far), and Clooney would have been the best (imo).

Yeah, Kilmer was terrible. Physically, he might have looked the part, but I don't care what anyone says... the guy sucks as an actor. I've hated his catatonic performances since Top Gun. I think they only reason people liked him as Jim Morrison was because Jim Morrison spent most of his adult like stoned out of his mind, and since that's how Kilmer usually acts, well...

 

[thejon93]

I'm going to argue right now that Terrence Howard was ultimately miscast for playing Rhodes in 'Iron Man'. When I first heard the news that he was recast by Don Cheadle, I was kinda like: "What a bunch of bull----!" However, when I went back to watch 'Iron Man'... the way Terrence portrayed the role was (to me) played off as if he was "winking to the camera" in saying that this is just a comic-book movie. I'm hoping (and guessing) that Cheadle will ultimately do a better job with the character.

 

[That-Guy]

Howard didn't really make any impression on me at all in Iron Man. They really didn't give him anything interesting to do.

 

[thejon93]

Howard didn't really make any impression on me at all in Iron Man. They really didn't give him anything interesting to do.

I know, maybe that's what disappointed me about his performance/character. I'm not really sure.

 

[Heisenberg]

And Constantine.

As far as being like the actual Constantine, definitely agree. But i think, in the film, he wasn't that bad. But in Dracula he was just awful, ruined the entire film.

 

[WeaponXProject]

Gotta go with:
Clooney as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Hayden as Anakin...meh!
Jake Lloyd as Anakin...double meh!
Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great...really Oliver Stone...really?
Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghostrider...woulda sucked no matter what, though.
Wahlberg in the Happening and Max Payne...movies sucked anyways.
Halle Berry as Storm or Catwoman
Anna Paquin as Rogue...she's good in Almost Famous and a few others.
The kid in Hannibal Rising
Nick Stahl as John Connor in T3
Tom Hanks in Da Vinci Code...I said it. He was dry and boring.
Keanu in Dracula...*shutters*
Affleck as Daredevil.
and Paul Walker in every role he's done until he plays a *****e.