12 Iconic Movie Characters Who Were Disastrously Recast
2. Edward Malus - Nic Cage
The Film: The Wicker Man (2006)
In The Original: Edward Woodward
Millions of words have probably already been written about the problem of Nicolas Cage's performance as Edward Malus in the entirely unnecessary 2006 remake of The Wicker Man, and not a single one will have been wrong. It is a frankly ludicrous performance that is far worse than the meme-like obsession with the "NOT THE BEES" moment suggests.
As a result of replacing the classically trained Edward Woodward with Cage as the lead inadvertently turned the creeper classic into a horror comedy. Cage might have attempted to reclaim the film from criticism by calling it intentionally absurd, but that really doesn't ring true no matter how you spin it.
In hindsight, this looks like the beginning of Cage's descent into performance madness, and contrasting his and Woodward's performances really makes you appreciate the slow-burning intelligence of the latter.