Top 10 Stars Who Refused to Come Back for Sequels
#10: Katie Holmes
“The Dark Knight” (2008)
The first film in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy features Holmes as assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes. She’s Bruce Wayne’s lifelong friend, and one of the few people who eventually knows his secret. Yet even after the film’s critical and commercial success, Holmes decided not to return for “The Dark Knight,” and the part was recast with Maggie Gyllenhaal. Holmes instead signed on for a crime comedy, “Mad Money,” which gave her a starring role alongside Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah. Unfortunately, it wasn’t particularly lucrative, and reviews were generally negative. It’s probably fair to wonder whether Holmes regrets her decision to turn down one of the most beloved superhero movies of all time. To be clear though, she’s claimed she doesn’t!
#9: Alan Cumming
“X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006)
Being Nightcrawler was a traumatic experience for Cumming. For one thing, the makeup process was exhausting, taking hours. But the star also reportedly said the set was dangerous and the studio disregarded the actors’ safety. This understandably took a toll on his mental health. Considering all that, we’re not surprised that he wasn’t back to play the incredible Nightcrawler in the franchise’s third film, “The Last Stand.” However, there’s conflicting information about whether he exited, or whether the part itself was going to be axed either way. In later prequels, Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee plays a younger version of the teleporting blue mutant.
#8: Jim Carrey
Unproduced “Mask” Sequel
It must be nice to be able to turn down a $10 million paycheck just because you’ve lost interest in the job. That was the amount Jim Carrey was reportedly offered to reprise his role as Stanley in “The Mask 2.” But rumor has it that after “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” Carrey discovered that he didn’t enjoy repeatedly portraying the same character, and bowed out of the production. About a decade later, we got “Son of the Mask” starring Jamie Kennedy instead. But, well, the movie was a total bomb. Carrey has done other sequels since then, so we’re still holding out hope that we might get the “Mask” follow-up we deserve.
#7: Bill Murray
“Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle” (2003)
The set of “Charlie's Angels” must have been wild considering that Murray was reportedly feuding with both director McG and co-star Lucy Liu. McG accused Murray of head-butting him at one point, which Murray vehemently denied. Liu, on the other hand, said Murray insulted her so rudely that she had to stand up to him. With all this apparent bad blood between the main players, it makes sense that Murray reportedly elected not to return as John Bosley for “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” Instead, Bernie Mac stepped in to play Jimmy Bosley, John’s adopted sibling. At least there’s no denying the comedic timing of the late, great Mr. Mac.
#6: Rachel Weisz
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (2008)
The 1999 and 2001 entries in “The Mummy” franchise quickly turned into summer blockbusters. So why wouldn’t Rachel Weisz want to return to “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”? That depends on who you ask. According to director Rob Cohen, Weisz was unhappy when she found out her character would be made older to play the mother of a 21-year-old when she was only in her thirties. But Weisz apparently said her schedule just didn’t allow it. She was working on back-to-back films at the time, not to mention she’d recently had a baby. Whatever the reason, Maria Bello took Weisz’s place as Evelyn.
#5: Will Ferrell
Unproduced “Elf” Sequel
Impressively, it was Will Ferrell’s integrity as an actor that made him decline a chance to put on the yellow tights again for an “Elf” sequel. Ferrell turned down the script because he felt the premise was stale, and he wouldn’t be able to market it from the heart. Mind you, he stuck to this even though he was offered $29 million for the role. The team seemingly had the good sense not to go ahead with a sequel without him. After all, who would be able to match that infectious energy? Since “Elf” is basically a perfect movie on its own, we think everyone involved made the right call.
#4: Jodie Foster
“Hannibal” (2001)
Officially, Foster turned down the role of Clarice Starling in “Hannibal” because of scheduling conflicts. She was directing another film at the time, “Flora Plum,” which was eventually canceled. But she ultimately admitted that the character was so sacred to her and “The Silence of the Lambs” director Jonathan Demme that neither wanted to risk tarnishing her. As a result, Julianne Moore replaced Foster for the sequel, which takes place a decade after the original. Although reviews of “Hannibal” were mixed, it was a box office success. There have since also been prequel films and a TV show.
#3: Keanu Reeves
“Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997)
Reeves was not impressed with the script for “Speed 2.” The sequel to the action hit takes place on a cruise ship, and as it turns out, cruise ships aren’t actually very fast. Although Reeves enjoyed being Jack Traven, the second film just didn’t “feel right” to him. Since he turned down the part, his character was written out and Jason Patric, who portrayed SWAT officer Alex Shaw, was brought on instead. The final product was panned by its own cast and critics alike, who complained that it was slow and unexciting. Perhaps the lesson here is to always listen to Keanu Reeves?
#2: Crispin Glover
“Back to the Future Part II” (1989)
Glover’s refusal to return for part two of the iconic time travel franchise had a surprisingly big impact on the film industry as a whole. Reportedly dissatisfied with his salary offer and unhappy with the script, Glover bowed out of the sequel. But they didn’t merely recast him. Instead, director Robert Zemeckis reused archival old footage and put actor Jeffrey Weissman in prosthetics designed to make him look like the original George McFly. Glover then took legal action since his “likeness” was being used without his consent. The lawsuit was settled, and today, the Screen Actors Guild has rules in place to prevent something similar from happening to other performers.
#1: Marlon Brando
“The Godfather Part II” (1974)
The sequel/prequel to the powerful crime drama chronicles the Corleone family’s rise to power, with Robert De Niro taking the role of a younger Vito. Brando actually did say yes to a cameo at first. But two days before shooting, director Francis Ford Coppola found out that the star wouldn’t be showing up, reportedly because of the studio’s lousy pay and treatment of actors. This left Coppola to somehow make Vito’s 50th birthday party work without Vito. Robert Duvall also wasn’t happy with his paycheck from the franchise, arguing that Al Pacino shouldn’t have been making exponentially more than him. He reportedly refused to return for part three, so his character, Corleone family confidant and lawyer Tom Hagen, was killed off between films.
