10 Times Recasting Iconic Characters Actually Worked

7. Manute

The Original: Michael Clarke Duncan The Recast: Dennis Haysbert You'd have imagined a Sin City sequel would have been an obvious thing. The film was not just a box office success but had a strong fan reaction with an entire generation falling in love with its comic-book-imitating visuals. Add on that the material for a sequel already existed in the form of Frank Miller's source graphic novels and it's flat-out ridiculous that it took nine years for one to arrive. With such a gap, A Dame To Kill For felt less like a follow-on striking while the iron was hot and more a throw-back to that film that was popular that one time. It didn't deserve the box office grubbing it got, but we won't dispute it felt a little irrelevant. One problem posed by the gap was the character of Manute. Played by Michael Clarke Duncan in the original, who died in 2012, the hulking bodyguard played a significant part in the story director's Miller and Robert Rodriguez wanted at the centre of their second film (probably because of something to do with Eva Green's boobs). Duncan had a pretty distinctive presence, making a recast incredibly difficult, although Dennis Haysbert did a strong job with the role. Hulking and feeling indestructible, he was one part the film got right.