10 Major Movie Recastings You Didn't Even Notice
It turns out famous faces aren't irreplaceable after all.
It may not be ideal or very practical, but sometimes it is unavoidable that movie producers have to recast a famous role.
Maybe it's because of a star's untimely passing, like when Michael Gambon replaced Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Perhaps there's been a behind-the-scenes falling out, like the one that caused Terrence Howard to leave the MCU. Or maybe a big star sees the writing on the wall and abandons a failing series before it's too late. There are hundreds of examples for that one.
Most recastings of big characters are pretty obvious, but sometimes producers can get away with it. Not today, however, as we're here to expose some of the sneakiest replacements in Hollywood history.
Whether its physical acting, voice acting, or (in one case) animal acting, the following characters from major movies were all replaced with little to no fanfare in the hope that casual audiences wouldn't notice the change.
Some are pretty obvious, in hindsight, but others would have probably been successful had it not been for a certain website publishing a top ten article about them.
You can thank us later.
10. Zachary Levi As Fandral - Thor: The Dark World
You'd be forgive for forgetting who Fandral was, let alone that he was recast between the first two Thor movies.
Fandral is one of The Warriors Three, alongside Volstagg and Hogun. Comic book readers will know them as a hero team in their own right whilst also serving as back-up to Thor in his adventures. That's the role they play in the movies, although toned way, way down.
In first Thor movie, Fandral is played by Joshua Dallas, who is best known for his role as Prince Charming in the TV show, Once Upon A Time. It was this show that ultimately cost him his part in the MCU, as he had to turn down an appearance in Thor: The Dark World due to scheduling conflicts.
That's when Zachary Levi, who had been up for the role in the first place, was brought in. Levi had been busy on the show Chuck when Thor was filming, but was free to take on the part in the sequel.
The change is almost unnoticeable, because of Fandral's diminished on-screen role. Levi would appear again as the character in Thor: Ragnarok, but was almost immediately killed by Hela.