Actors and directors who left a movie franchise early
As Megan Fox ducks out of Transformers 3, what happened when other movie franchises and their personnel parted company?
With Megan Fox’s departure from Transformers 3 currently making the news, we look at other actors and directors who have, for one reason or another, left a movie franchise. What happened next, for the franchise and for the person concerned?
Megan Fox – Transformers 3
Who?
A regular fixture in men’s magazine listings of desirable women, 2007’s Transformers gave Megan Fox her first lead role after several years of small television roles.
Why?
Fox’s recent comments in Wonderland magazine can’t have done her any favours. “He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation,” Fox said. “He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is.”
While Fox has since claimed that she left the Transformers 3 production voluntarily, it’s still widely thought that director Michael Bay gave her the push. Bay and writer Ehren Kruger have since said that “giving Shia a new love interest makes more sense for the story”.
Will it matter?
Fox’s character was seldom given much to do other than pose for the camera, so casting another pretty face probably won’t alter the trajectory of the Transformers story (such as it is) to any great degree. Fresh from her regal performance in Prince Of Persia, Gemma Arterton is currently in the running for her replacement.
Crispin Glover – Back To The Future
Who?
Crispin Glover initially appeared in the sitcoms Happy Days and Family Ties (which also starred Back To The Future star Michael J Fox) before landing the role of George McFly in the 1985 time travel comedy Back To The Future.
Why?
There’s actually some dispute over whether Glover was dropped from the franchise or if he merely lost interest. Glover claims the latter to be true, while screenwriter Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis suggested that Glover had asked for the same salary as lead actor Michael J Fox, and also an approval of the script.
Did it matter?
Glover was replaced by Jeffrey Weissman for Back To The Future II and III, and thanks to a mixture of heavy prosthetics and the George McFly character being given less screen time, Glover’s absence was less noticeable than it might have been, although he wasn’t best pleased about the way he was replaced. Legal action followed…
Rachelle Lefevre – Twilight: Eclipse
Who?
Canadian actor Lefevre starred in a string of movies, including George Clooney’s 2002 thriller Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, before appearing as Victoria in 2008’s Twilight. She reprised the role for 2009’s New Moon, but has been replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard for the forthcoming Eclipse.
Why?
The studio behind the Twilight series, Summit Entertainment, put Lefevre’s departure down to “scheduling conflicts”. Lefevre, however, said she was “stunned” and “greatly saddened” by the decision, and told Access Hollywood that she didn’t expect to “lose the role over a 10 day overlap” before movie projects.
Will it matter?
Lefevre put a considerable amount of effort into her role as the predatory vampire Victoria, and her departure sparked a “bring back Lefevre” campaign on Twitter. Whether Howard will be able to make the role her own remains to be seen, but the Twilight juggernaut will carry on nonetheless, and box office takings will not be harmed.
Tobey Maguire & Sam Raimi – Spider-Man 4
Who?
With Sony planning a series reboot for the arachnid Marvel comic, it was announced in January that the next Spider-Man movie would be made without the involvement of lead actor Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi.
Why?
In the case of Tobey Maguire, the 34-year-old is simply too old to be convincing in the role of high school aged superhero Peter Parker, so the decision to replace him with a more youthful actor is understandable.
According to Deadline Hollywood, Sony parted company with Raimi over disagreements over who should be Spider-Man‘s next big villain, and there were fears that Spider-Man 4 would miss its release date of May 2011, later rescheduled for 2012.
Will it matter?
Former Green Day video director Marc Webb (the man who helmed the terrific (500) Days Of Summer) has signed up as Raimi’s replacement in the director’s chair, though there’s no news yet on who the actor will be in the Spider-Man outfit. Again, the power of the franchise should mean that box office isn’t damaged, even if we all have to sit through another superhero origins-esque story now.
Peter Weller – RoboCop 3
Who?
RoboCop‘s razor sharp satire of Reagan era greed was an unexpected hit in 1987, and remains Peter Weller’s defining cinema role.
Why?
After a successful but inferior 1990 sequel, Weller decided not to return for the third film due to his commitment to David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch project.
Did it matter?
Weller had a lucky escape. The decision to make RoboCop 3 suitable for a PG-13 rating destroyed the savage humour and violence that made the first movie so brilliant, and director Fred Dekker turned in a film of toe-curling awfulness that even dared to contain a film where RoboCop flew. Truly horrible.
Terrence Howard – Iron Man 2
Who?
Terrence Howard’s breakthrough acting role came in 1995, with a prominent part in Mr. Holland’s Opus. He later appeared as Tony Stark’s military friend Lt. Colonel Rhodes in Iron Man, a role which was taken up by Don Cheadle in this year’s sequel.
Why?
It seems that no one was more surprised by Marvel’s recasting decision than Howard. “It was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation,” Howard told National Public Radio back in 2008. “The contract just [upped] and vanished.”
Entertainment Week has hinted that Howard’s on-set behaviour in Iron Man 2 was “difficult” and that he was the most highly paid actor on the set. It’s therefore possible that Marvel and Howard parted company over pay disputes.
Did it matter?
Don Cheadle is an excellent actor, so his performance in Iron Man 2 was never going to be a distraction. The fact that Cheadle spends much of the movie in his War Machine suit also makes the change of actor less of an issue.
Steve Guttenberg – Police Academy 5
Who?
Guttenberg became prominent in the 80s for his roles in films like Cocoon and Short Circuit, in which he essentially played the same character with the same haircut.
Why?
The filming of Assignment Miami Beach clashed with that of Three Men And A Baby, so Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol was Guttenberg’s last film in the franchise.
Did it matter?
The Police Academy series continued unabated with three more entries, concluding with Mission To Moscow in 1994 which, even by the franchise’s constantly dropping standards, was a particular low. Matt McCoy was recruited to the cast to take on the Guttenberg-esque role. His work is not fondly remembered.
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