8 Movie Re-Castings That Were Totally Justified

3. Ian McDermid Replaces Clive Revill - Return Of The Jedi

Ian McDermid's performance as the evil Emperor in 1983's Return of the Jedi was electric (both literally and figuratively speaking), so when he was asked to reprise the part 17 years later in the Episode I: The Phantom Menace, fans had few complaints. He was just evil, and though his screen time in Episode VI would only amount to just over six minutes, McDermid's experience in theatre ensured that Darth Vader's master would persist long after the credits began to roll.

But did you know McDermid wasn't the first to play the character? In the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back, it was Clive Revill who played Darth Sidious, providing the voiceover for a computer generated image of Vader's master.

Needless to say Revill didn't return for the sequel, and subsequent releases of Empire have all replaced the ghostly figure of the Emperor with one of McDermid instead.

In any case, Revill only had one minute to make an impression on audiences, and though he did an admirable job first time around, it's McDermid who everyone thinks of when the Emperor appears.