14 Actors Who Disappeared From Popular Movie Franchises (And What Really Happened)
Crispin Glover turned down Back to the Future Part II after being offered less than half as much money as his costars. So, he was replaced by another actor wearing facial prosthetics made from a mold of his face!
"It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years," she said.
Co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin told Games Radar, "We got to really explore and do a lot of character building in this one. It was really fun to create these new characters in a really cool and exciting way."
"[Francis Ford Coppola] came to my farm, parked his car, came to my farm, we went in the kitchen. He said, 'I know you always wanted the crab cake recipe. Let me cook it for you.' Oh, he loves to eat, so I cooked the crab cake, and he wrote it down, and he forgot it. So he called twice. He was more concerned that he forgot the crab cake recipe than would I be in Godfather III," he said.
In 2010, Megan's reps told People, "It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best."
In 2012, he told the AV Club, "It was very clear they didn’t want me in the film. It was clear they already had this concept that they were going to put another actor in prosthetics. They thought that was funny. They knew that they could basically torment me, either financially or by this mean-spirited, what ultimately was an illegal thing to do. I’m sure they laughed and joked about it."
In 2020, he told Time Out, "I actually found negotiating with them through my agent impossible. And I didn't really wanna do it that much."
In 2014, he told the Hollywood Reporter, "I knew what made Jaws good, and we weren't talking about Steven [Spielberg] directing [the sequel]... [Producer] David Brown said, 'I never understood why you wouldn't agree to do a sequel.' And I said, 'I never understood why you didn't give us Latvia.' We were not bonused — not at all — and you would be embarrassed at how much they paid us. I said to David, 'You could have given us Eastern Europe.' And not only did he not, but he didn't again and again."
On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, he said, "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man...took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out. I called my friend — that I helped get the first job — and he didn't call me back for three months."
In 2012, he told Entertainment Weekly, "The timing wasn’t right. I’m bummed about it because I had such a great experience and great time making the first film and was really excited about coming back. Marvel and Disney tried to make it work. But because of my commitment to Once Upon a Time, I was not going to be able to do both. So I’ll have to hand the reins over to someone else. I love Marvel. I wish them all the best. I will certainly be first in line to see it."
Zachary was actually initially cast as Fandral in Thor, but he had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict with Chuck.
In 2021, he told The Graham Norton Show, "I really wanted to work with Sandra Bullock. I loved playing Jack Traven, and I loved Speed, but an ocean liner? I had nothing against the artists involved, but at that time, I had the feeling it just wasn't right."
Emma tweeted, "Just wanted to come on here & say that I see all your kind messages. Thank you for all your support. It has meant the world to me. I was as sad as you all were to hear the news Thursday. I can only hope that this means there is something else for me in the future of the MCU. I will always be grateful to have been a part of the MCU & the biggest movie of all time. Being an actress is still my #1 passion & I look forward to what the future holds."
In a 2018 Q&A video, Kimberly said, "Some people asked me or said that they heard I was working on something, which was not the case at the time. I was available and ready to do it, and had talked to them about possibly — about doing it. But Disney decided to go in a different direction and recast the role. So, that's really all I know about the situation."
Damion may have been replaced as Thanos, but he moved on to a new role in the MCU. He made an appearance as one of Crossbones' mercenaries in Captain America: Civil War. He also did stunt work in that film as well as for Thor: The Dark World.
In a 2010 statement, Marvel said, "We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members."
Then, Norton's agent released a statement, which said, "This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers...This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous, and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton's talent, tireless work ethic, and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans."
In 2019, Edward told the New York Times Magazine, "We had positive discussions about going on with the films, and we looked at the amount of time that would’ve taken, and I wasn’t going to do that. I honestly would’ve wanted more money than they’d have wanted to pay me."