Hollywood is always a mess, but there’s no better example of the unpredictability of it than when an actor has been replaced mid-production. Sometimes it’s creative differences, controversy, and sometimes just weird situations. Let’s count down the 10 most shocking mid-production replacements.
10. Chicken Little — Holly Hunter out, Zach Braff in
Amazingly enough, Disney originally conceived of Chicken Little as a female. Holly Hunter even had all her lines prerecorded before the executives shifted their approach, believing a boy lead would be a better seller. The film was revamped, and Zach Braff took the role. Director Mark Dindal remembered being informed, “Girls will go see a movie with a boy protagonist, but boys won’t go see one with a girl protagonist.” Of course, Frozen would eventually disprove that reasoning by bringing in over a billion dollars.
9. The Lovely Bones — Ryan Gosling out, Mark Wahlberg in
Ryan Gosling was so committed to his part as Jack Salmon that he put on 60 pounds—allegedly by consuming melted ice cream. His vision, however, didn’t align with Peter Jackson’s, and he was replaced at the last minute by Mark Wahlberg. Gosling later confessed he had underestimated the role, joking that he wound up “fat and jobless.”
8. Predator — Jean-Claude Van Damme out, Kevin Peter Hall in
Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast as the alien hunter, but the costume was both limiting and, in his opinion, absurd. Others claim that the filmmakers realized the creature required someone considerably taller and more imposing. Kevin Peter Hall ultimately wore the suit, presenting us with our classic Predator today.
7. Knocked Up — Anne Hathaway out, Katherine Heigl in
Anne Hathaway had committed to the lead opposite Seth Rogen, but she objected to the film’s graphic childbirth scene—although it would have utilized a body double. She walked away, and Katherine Heigl took the role instead. The movie became one of the iconic rom-coms of the 2000s.
6. The Lord of the Rings — Stuart Townsend dropped, Viggo Mortensen hired
Stuart Townsend spent months preparing to play Aragorn, only to be let go a few days into filming. Director Peter Jackson deemed Townsend too youthful for the part. Older, grittier Viggo Mortensen was hired at the eleventh hour, and the rest is history with fantasy films. Townsend afterward acknowledged he still harbored bad feelings about the episode.
5. Back to the Future — Eric Stoltz out, Michael J. Fox in
Eric Stoltz filmed for weeks as Marty McFly, but his dramatic approach didn’t work with the humorous tone the filmmakers desired. Director Robert Zemeckis ultimately recast the part with Michael J. Fox, who coped with the exhausting schedule of filming Family Ties during the day and Back to the Future at night. In retrospect, Zemeckis confessed simply: “I miscast him.”
4. Aliens — James Remar out, Michael Biehn in
James Remar was first cast as Corporal Hicks, but his drug possession arrest lost him the part after several weeks of filming. Michael Biehn took over and soon became a fan favorite. Remar later admitted his substance abuse problems were the reason for the switch.
3. All the Money in the World — Kevin Spacey out, Christopher Plummer in
Kevin Spacey had wrapped as oil baron J. Paul Getty, but after severe accusations against him, Ridley Scott made the unprecedented decision to replace him completely. Christopher Plummer did a whole series of Spacey’s scenes in under a month—and got an Oscar nomination for it.
2. Beverly Hills Cop — Sylvester Stallone out, Eddie Murphy in
Sylvester Stallone was originally cast as Axel Foley, but his other version of the character made him a brooding action hero. The producers needed comedy, and they dropped him. Eddie Murphy joined on, and his comic take made Beverly Hills Cop a box-office hit.
1. The Truman Show — Dennis Hopper out, Ed Harris in
Dennis Hopper played Christof, the creator of Truman’s simulated world, but was fired after a single day of shooting, having messed up his lines. Ed Harris was hired to replace him and delivered a chilling performance that was nominated for an Oscar. Hopper afterward revealed that producer Scott Rudin had already prepared to cut him if the dailies from the first day weren’t satisfactory—and just did that.
Hollywood prefers to utter “the show must go on, —and these tales affirm that occasionally, it goes on with an entirely new face in front of the lens.