10 Movie Sequels That Recast Major Characters (For The Better)
With apologies to Terrence Howard.
Where would our favourite movie franchises be without recasting? Batman, James Bond and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all defeated and left dead in the water by failed contact re-negotiations, ageing actors and behind-the-scenes misbehavior.
Continuity in big movie franchises is important, but sometimes studios have no choice but to look elsewhere in filling out previously held roles, with new actors stepping in for those who have jumped, been pushed or even kicked the bucket. This can be jarring (Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, for instance) or messy (in the case of Fox's newest young X-Men) and, in other occasions, the actor just slips right on in with minimal disruption (as with Michael Gambon's solid Richard Harris impression) but sometimes... it can be for the best.
Join us as we take a look at 10 major franchise recastings which improved on their predecessors, elevating characters and their stories to a whole new level. Don't expect to see either of Tommy Lee Jones's two faces pop up here though; there's some buffoonery we just can't sanction.
10. James Rhodes - Iron Man 2
Terrence Howard originally played the role of Tony Stark's best pal James 'Rhodey' Rhodes in 2008's Iron Man. However, when it came to the sequel, Marvel baulked at the hefty pay increase Howard was demanding for a reprise, and traded him in for Don Cheadle.
Safe to say, the gamble paid off for Marvel, with Rhodey going on to become one of the franchise's most popular supporting characters, now a fully-fledged member of the Avengers and taking on a pretty major role in Endgame.
However one feels about Howard's more subdued (some might say boring) version of the character, it's hard to picture his War Machine flying to quite the same heights.