10 Insane Reasons Actors Didn't Return For Movie Sequels
5. Elias Koteas' Casey Jones Was Too Violent - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Given that badass vigilante Casey Jones is a central character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, it was assumed that after being introduced in the 1990 live-action film - as played by Elias Koteas - he'd be back for the sequel.
But Casey was conspicuously absent in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, with no explanation given for his sudden disappearance.
As it turns out, this was part of a concerted effort to make the sequel more family-friendly, after many parents complained about the first Turtles movie being excessively violent.
Given that Casey was a hockey stick-wielding vigilante, he got the chop, with producer Thomas K. Gray later saying that Casey's removal was "part of cleaning up the act."
Ironically though, Koteas did return as Casey in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, possibly because Turtles II massively underperformed at the box office compared to the first film, and so there didn't seem to be much tangible benefit to excluding him.