10 Actors Who Were Wasted In Their Franchise Return

We waited two decades to see Jeff Goldblum sat behind a desk...

Mark Hamill Luke Skywalker Star Wars The Force Awakens
LucasFilm

If the current global situation has taught us one thing, it's that absence most definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

That's why fans tend to lose their minds whenever an actor returns to a film franchise after a couple of years or possibly even a few decades away from that world. As we all know, nostalgia sells and there's nothing more nostalgic than seeing one of your old favourites suit up for one more ride on the big screen!

Yet, not every highly anticipated comeback is as successful as Harrison Ford returning to blast Stormtroopers as Han Solo in The Force Awakens. Some are actually quite the opposite.

Whether it was because of a lack of serious screen time, their role in the finished product being cut to pieces or the fact they didn't really influence proceedings, each of these thespians just didn't get the triumphant return we (and probably they) were hoping for.

Thankfully, we do live in a time where there's always a chance to right the wrong of a crappy comeback with yet another sequel.

But, there's no denying that the folowing ten actors were completely wasted in these franchise returns.

10. Orlando Bloom And Keira Knightley - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Mark Hamill Luke Skywalker Star Wars The Force Awakens
Disney

After sitting out On Stranger Tides (2011), Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley made their long awaited return to the waters of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) - nearly ten years on from their last appearance.

However, instead of throwing the love birds of the first three adventures back in at the deep end, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were kept largely away from the action. The fifth Pirates film eventually chose to focus on the pair's son Henry (Brenton Thwaites), Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem) and Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).

Fans were clearly excited about seeing two of the franchise's most recognisable faces return to squabble with the other original characters and new faces on show. Yet, all they were actually given was an exchange between Will and his son, a short and sweet husband and wife reunion, and a post-credit scene teasing the return of Davy Jones.

Any plan to bring back Jones or any of the other old cast members looks pretty much dead in the water at this stage, with Margot Robbie signing on to appear in a new story under the Pirates moniker and a full on reboot of the franchise already in the works. So, if this is the last we'll see of the famous faces in this world, it was a bit of a crappy Swann-song.

Contributor
Contributor

Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...