10 Times Recasting Iconic Characters Actually Worked

6. Kyle Reese

The Original: Michael Biehn The Recast: Anton Yelchin Kyle Reese is a man who travels back in time to chase after a girl he's only seen in one grubby polaroid. And while that sounds obscenely creepy it's actually the biggest of romantic gestures and one that leads to the saviour of the whole human race. Only in the movies, eh. Michael Biehn made Kyle Reese, transforming what could have been a self-important soldier on a world-changing mission into a real man who had to deal with all the struggles you'd expect adjusting to a new time. It was a natural, down-to-Earth performance that presented Reese as a regular guy, making him a suitable adversary for the stoic Terminator (and that seedy side seem romantic). There was no need to recast the character until sequel-prequel-reboot Terminator Salvation, which had various characters from previous films in younger/older forms. Young versions of iconic performances are always a tricky gamble, with most lazily reverse-engineered to deliver a simple shadow of what made audiences like the character in the first place. Thankfully that wasn't the case with Kyle. Christian Bale wasn't overly suited to John Connor, who becomes a lot less interesting once he's actually in the robot war, but Anton Yelchin as Reese was spot on. Looking like a young Biehn (that's always a bonus), there was that same kindness present that had made the character so likeable in the first place.