10 Characters Cruelly Recast Before They Made It Big

2. Harvey Dent (Batman Forever & The Dark Knight)

Originally Played By: Billy Dee Williams, yes, Lando Calrissian himself, was cast in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman as a pre-mutilation Harvey Dent, with Williams reportedly only doing so with the promise that he'd be able to play Two-Face in the sequel, such that Williams was even granted a contractual stipulation that would pay him even if he didn't get the role. In the end, Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher clearly had other ideas... Recast As: Schumacher recast Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, resulting in a significant payout to Williams simply to keep him quiet. Some would argue that Williams dodged a major bullet by not starring in the film (not a sentiment I hold), though the ultimate recast came years later, when Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight saw chiseled actor Aaron Eckhart in the part. Eckhart made for a fantastic Dent (certainly better than I could ever have imagined either Williams or Jones in the role), and an exceptionally grotesque Two-Face.