11 Best Recast Movie Roles Of All Time

In Hannibal Lecter's first on-screen appearance, in Michael Mann's Manhunter from 1986, the role was played by Brian Cox. The film was and remains vastly underrated, with some great performances, and a stellar turn from Cox as the cannibal himself. But as great as Cox was, his contribution was shrunken into little more than a footnote on the path to greatness by the character's next incarnation.

Five short years after Manhunter came out, Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs debuted. Based on the sequel to the book that Manhunter was based on, the films had little to no connection, including an entirely new cast. One of those new additions was Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Infamously, Hopkins only has a total of sixteen minutes of screen time in Silence of the Lambs, but that was more than enough to infect the nightmares of the audience.

Hopkins performance in the film is absolutely haunting and is destined to remain one of the all-time best villainous performances in cinema history. The Academy certainly thought so. Even though Silence of the Lambs dealt with subject matter that was distinctly out of their normal wheelhouse, it won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hopkins' performance.

Not Best Supporting Actor. Best Actor. For sixteen minutes of screentime. His performance was so good that viewers everywhere were, the Academy included, were convinced he had been in more of the film than he had.

Which recasting is your favourite? Any we've missed? Share your thoughts down in the comments.