12 Times Actors Were Unceremoniously Changed In Iconic Projects

There are plenty of reasons why actors have been replaced in their iconic projects even though they fulfilled their roles perfectly. Some stars step in to portray the same character after scheduling conflicts arise and the original actor has to leave. In other cases, actors don’t agree with the script and decided to leave of their own accord.
However, sometimes, actors are forced to leave their films because filmmakers need to cast new actors for lead or supporting roles. Some alternatives are not even noticed by the audiences, some receive numerous negative reviews from critics and fans.
Let's find out why certain recasts happened in famous movies. Click here, here, and here to see more.

#1 Nobody really understood why the actress that played Myrcella Baratheon was replaced

Source: © Game of Thrones / HBO and co-producers

Before season 5, Myrcella, the daughter of the evil queen Cersei, sometimes appeared on the screen. The role was portrayed by Aimee Richardson. The actress was fired with the rest of the world during the Comic-Con festival. Nell Tiger Free got the role. There was no explanation from the studio.

#2 Sometimes, a recast can give birth to a curious theory

Source: © Back to the Future / Universal Pictures and co-producers, © Back to the Future Part II / Universal Pictures and co-producers

Claudia Wells initially took on the role of Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer Parker in “Back to the Future”. However, she had to stop her movie career because of family issues so the role went to Elisabeth Shue. Many fans think that Jennifer's appearance changed because Marty traveled to the past. He could have rewritten the history of his family.

#3 Parker Corno might have aged too much to continue his work in The Boys

Source: © The Boys / Amazon Studios and co-producers

Ryan Butcher made his film debut as Homelander's son in the season 1 finale of “The Boys”. But in season 2, the role went to Cameron Crovetti. The studio didn’t comment on this recast. It had some rumors that the filmmaker needed a more experienced actor or Corno probably grew too much so he didn’t fit the role anymore.

#4 Daario Naharis suddenly had dark hair in season 4 of Game of Thrones

Source: © Game of Thrones / HBO and co-producers

When Ed Skrein left the show after season 3, it was rumored that he was doing “The Transporter Refueled”. But, Skrein claimed it wasn’t true. Maybe he was forced to make this decision.

#5 The replacement of Joshua Dallas as Fandral brought him family happiness

Source: © Thor / Paramount Pictures and co-producers, © Thor: The Dark World / Marvel Studios and co-producers

Joshua Dallas who portrayed the brave Fandral in Thor didn’t appear in “Thor: The Dark World” because he starred in “Once Upon a Time”, in which he met his future wife. Finally, Zachary Levi got the role and caused disappointment.

#6 In The Matrix Resurrections, Morpheus became younger

Source: © The Matrix / Warner. Bros and co-producers, © The Matrix Resurrections / Warner. Bros and co-producers

Laurence Fishburne portrayed Morpheus in the original trilogy but he wasn’t offered a part in the next film. The filmmaker wanted a younger actor to take on this role because the theme of resurrection was the pillar of the film.

#7 Amy’s mom looked very different in real life compared to what she looked like on a laptop screen

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Chuck Lorre Productions and co-producers

The friend of Sheldon Cooper, neuroscientist Amy, had a few scenes in the movie. The girl’s mom whom Sheldon and Amy talk to looked different from the woman in season 11.

#8 In season 7 of True Blood, James Kent was portrayed by a different actor because Grimes didn’t like the writing

Source: © True Blood / HBO and co-producers

The audiences love a new character called James Kent because it seems that he was probably the kindest and the most sensitive vampire in the series. However, in the next season, actor Luke Grimes left the project because he didn’t like the plot. The studio didn't want to change the script and decided to hire a different actor, Nathan Parsons.

#9 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was heavily criticized because Rachel Weisz left

Source: © The Mummy / Universal Pictures and co-producers, © The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor / Universal Pictures and co-producers

Most audiences loved Rachel Weisz’s portrayal of Evie Carnahan in “The Mummy and The Mummy Returns”. But she left for the 3^rd film. She hadn’t even read the script. If she kept taking on the role, she’d have had to go to China for 5 months. The actress wasn’t ready for that and Maria Bello got the role. However, her portrayal didn’t get many positive reviews.

#10 Rooney Mara was disappointed when she wasn’t allowed to keep playing Lisbeth Salander

Source: © The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / Columbia Pictures and co-producers, © The Girl in the Spider's Web / Columbia Pictures and co-producers

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” wasn’t a huge box office hit but critics really loved it. Rooney Mara, who played Lisbeth Salander, even got a nomination for an Oscar. But, in the next film, the director David Fincher was replaced by Fede Álvarez, and he decided to hire a new cast. The role of Lisbeth went to Claire Foy. Rooney Mara was disappointed because she hoped she would portray this character again.

#11 The role of Lavender Brown was portrayed by 3 actresses

Source: © Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Warner. Bros and co-producers, © Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / Warner. Bros and co-producers, © Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / Warner. Bros and co-producers

Many might not notice that Lavender Brown was somewhere in the background but didn’t have any lines in the first 3 “Harry Potter” films. At first, Lavender was portrayed by Kathleen Cauley, and then by Jennifer Smith. But in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, many events revolve around Brown. Maybe, this is why Jessica Cave, a more experienced actress, was cast.

#12 The replacement of the actor that portrayed Robin Hood in Once Upon a Time was good for both Tom Ellis and Sean Maguire

Source: © Once Upon a Time / ABC Signature and co-producers

The character Robin Hood was initially played by Tom Ellis. But, in the next season, Sean Maguire took on the role, because Ellis was busy with several British projects. Maguire was offered a few interesting projects after “Once Upon a Time” while Ellis became a part of “Lucifer”.