10 Movie Franchises That Survived A Major Recast

These 10 movie franchises recast a major role, but instead of sinking, they actually flourished. Keeping a cast together for a long-running movie series isn't easy, and any number of factors can lead to a recasting. Replacing actors isn't all that uncommon, but it can be jarring in a movie series with consistent characters. Sometimes it can completely tank a series.

Background parts are one thing, but major recasts have the potential to turn away audiences who may have formed a connection with a certain actor in a certain role. However, when it works, it's a unique form of movie magic that can serve up something the audience didn't even know they needed. Initial fan backlash can give way to a bona fide love for the new actor who stepped into the popular part.

It's important to distinguish between franchise recasts and full reboots. Many series have been given a hard reset, prompting a complete cast switch. That's not the same as a simple recast, which sees a new actor step into a role that exists in the same continuity as the first actor that played the part. What's more, the series actually has to continue after the recast takes place. If a recast happens in the last film, it doesn't count.

The untimely passing of an actor can lead to a recast, but it is often much less dramatic. Most major recasts are due to scheduling conflicts which prevent the original actor from returning. This is especially common in breakout hits, where no one involved thought things would blossom into a franchise. No matter why they happened, these franchises weathered the storm and survived a recast.

10 Iron Man

The Iron Man movie series is just one franchise within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's the one that kicked off the whole show. Across the three standalone Iron Man movies, the cast remained mostly consistent. However, the important role of Tony Stark's friend and partner, James Rhodes (aka War Machine), was recast after the first movie.

Terrence Howard originated the role, but was swapped out for Don Cheadle due to salary conflicts. The recast was successful, and Cheadle has returned several times both in the Iron Man series and in the larger MCU. It's one of the few brazen recasts in the cinematic universe, unlike less noticeable recasts such as Thanos or Red Skull.

9 Star Trek

Though the entire original crew was recast in the Kelvin universe, that's not the Star Trek movie recast worth mentioning. The six films exclusively starring the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series are classic sci-fi adventures that evolve the beloved heroes from the '60s TV series. However, there are also quite a few important side characters in the franchise.

Perhaps the biggest side character in the original Star Trek movies is Lt. Saavik, the Vulcan officer who appears in The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock. She was originally played by Kirstie Alley, but Robin Curtis took the role in the following film. Money was the biggest decider for Alley's departure, and Curtis took the juicier part in lieu of more pay.

8 Back To The Future

The Back to the Future series is one of cinema's greatest trilogies, and it actually survived a few major recasts. The infamous mid-production recasting of Marty McFly is one thing, but there were actually a few recasts between the release of the first and second film that are worth mentioning. Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, and his dad, George McFly.

In Back to the Future Part II, Jennifer is played by Elisabeth Shue, who took over from Claudia Wells. Furthermore, Crispin Glover didn't return to reprise as Marty's dad, so he was replaced by Jeffrey Weissman under a lot of prosthetic makeup. Both characters were greatly reduced in the sequels, which is likely why the franchise was able to get by after replacing two leads.

7 The Twilight Saga

Though critics hated it, the Twilight saga is undoubtedly a cornerstone of 2000s and 2010s popular culture. The blockbuster supernatural romance series is noted for a stacked cast of young stars, but not all of them held onto their roles as vampires and werewolves. One major villain was recast halfway through, and it wasn't as smooth as other changeovers.

Victoria was originally played by Rachelle Lefevre in the first film, but when she finally returned in Eclipse, she was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Not only did the role get recast, but her persona and motivations had changed pretty significantly. The Twilight franchise survived the major recast, but it was a pretty bumpy process.

6 The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is one of Marvel's signature characters, but his journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is complicated. Not only has legal issues kept the studio from producing another standalone Hulk movie, but the title role was recast after only one appearance. 2008's The Incredible Hulk featured Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, but he didn't return to reprise his role.

It's almost easy to forget that Norton was ever actually in the MCU, especially because the franchise's second-ever release is so lackluster. When the Hulk showed up in The Avengers, he was played by Mark Ruffalo, who has since stayed on to make the part his own. The Hulk recast is arguably one of the most successful in movie franchise history.

5 Jack Ryan

The Jack Ryan series has not only been recast, but it has also been rebooted a few times as well. Tom Clancy's bestselling novel, The Hunt for Red October, was adapted into the 1990 film, and featured Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan. That movie exists in the same continuity as Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, which were released in 1992 and 1994, respectively.

However, Baldwin did not return to play Ryan. Instead, he was portrayed by Harrison Ford throughout the 1990s. The star power of Baldwin's replacement was more than enough to keep the franchise afloat until the series got a soft reboot in Sum of All Fears. No matter who plays the CIA operative, the Jack Ryan series is one that will never go away.

4 The Dark Knight Trilogy

Like a lot of comic book icons, Batman has been portrayed by various actors in various franchises over the years. Christian Bale plays the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, becoming the first Batman actor to stick around for three straight movies. However, not all of his co-stars stayed the same across the hugely popular series.

The character of Rachel Dawes was created specifically for the Nolan franchise, and the assistant District Attorney was first played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. She opted not to return for The Dark Knight, so Maggie Gyllenhaal stepped in. The character's evolution caused a backlash, but that did nothing to curb the extreme success of the sequel. Even with changes, The Dark Knight is considered an all-time great comic book movie.

3 Mad Max

Since Mad Max: Fury Road technically isn't a reboot, its major recast counts for the purposes of this list. George Miller's brilliant post-apocalyptic action series had humble beginnings, but grew into a bona fide masterpiece trilogy by the end of the 1980s. After a lengthy hiatus, the Aussie series came roaring back, but this time with a new actor playing the title character.

Many factors contributed to Mel Gibson not returning to play Max, and he was replaced by Tom Hardy. The blank-slate character was easy to swap, especially when putting a deft performer like Hardy in the part. The franchise not only survived the recast, but flourished, and Fury Road is arguably the pinnacle of the entire series.

2 Harry Potter

It was an ambitious plan to adapt a seven-book series over the course of a decade, but the Harry Potter franchise somehow pulled it off. Nevertheless, the franchise's extended timeline meant several roles would need to be recast, but only one major part was swapped. Albus Dumbledore is a central figure in the Harry Potter lore, but the original actor didn't play the part in all eight movies.

In the first two movies, Jared Harris portrayed the wise old headmaster of Hogwarts, but his death meant the part needed to be recast for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Michael Gambon assumed the role, and truly made the part his own for the remainder of the series. Considering the increasing size and scope of Dumbledore's role in the later movies, Gambon was able to do more with the part than his predecessor.

1 James Bond

In the course of movie history, no franchise leading role has been successfully recast more times than 007 himself. The part of James Bond has changed hands numerous times in the official canon, and that's completely ignoring non-canon Bond material as well. Since 1962, James Bond has been played by six different actors.

Sean Connery originated the part, and though the first recast (George Lazenby) didn't stick, the next change was more permanent. At the time of writing, the Bond franchise is currently undergoing another recast that will crown a new 007. Whoever plays the superspy, it's guaranteed that the franchise will survive its latest recast.