10 Movie Casting Choices That Should've Worked (But Didn't)

10. Christian Bale As John Connor – Terminator: Salvation

Nobody in their right mind believed Terminator 3 could live up to the expectations of its predecessors.

But Terminator: Salvation looked like it had a lot to offer (despite having the same director as Charlie's Angels). Not only was it the first entry to take place in the apocalyptic timeline where SkyNet had ravaged the world, John Connor was played by Batman himself, Christian Bale.

Even though Bale has been a universally beloved star for decades, casting him at the peak of his career made people believe the most recent outing of James Cameron's franchise would be a return to form.

Sadly, Salvation was criticised for jerky handheld action, surprisingly underwhelming action, and a twist so boring, most viewers can't even remember what it is. (CGI Arnie didn't help either.)

Although Christian Bale has never dropped the ball, this might be the Welsh actor's weakest performance. Even though Bale depicts The Resistance leader as a flawed and reluctant hero, we never buy this guy as the saviour of mankind.

As blasphemous at it sounds, Nick Stahl from Terminator 3 captured the essence of John Connor a lot better.