Movie Sequels That Replaced The Lead Character
Franchises are the lifeblood of the film business. If a movie shows any indication that it will turn a profit and there's enough fan interest surrounding it, rest assured that a sequel is already in development before the sun sets over Hollywood Hills. Most studios get the lead actors to sign watertight agreements to appear in future sequels; however, there are instances when they don't return, and a decision is made to focus on a different character for the main storyline. Sometimes, it could be someone who has already appeared in the series; in other cases, it could be an entirely new creation carrying the franchise forward.
Expectedly, these changes often divide the fanbase. Some viewers will appreciate the continuation of the narrative and embrace the natural evolution, while others will completely reject this notion and wonder what's the point. One only needs to look at Film Twitter's "opinions" whenever controversial lead character switch-ups happen to see how extreme and polarizing the views can be. Let's just say some people only want to eat vanilla ice cream, and if they are fed Neapolitan, they might throw up on you.
With that being said, let's take a look at the movie sequels that replaced the lead character.
Scream VI
While Ghostface might be the proverbial face of "Scream," there's no disputing the heart of the story is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Much like Laurie Strode is to "Halloween," it feels like Sidney is doomed to fight these masked serial killers forever. In 2022's "Scream" — also known as "Scream V" — the narrative expands to focus on the Carpenter sisters, especially Sam (Melissa Barrera) — revealed to be the biological daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), the original killer and Sidney's ex-boyfriend. Sidney still plays a major role here, as she acts as somewhat of a mentor to the Carpenter sisters since she knows all too well how these events pan out.
However, 2023's "Scream VI" marks a turning point in the franchise, as it excludes Sidney from the movie altogether. It's now officially Sam's story, and she becomes the franchise's final girl. It's understandable from a narrative point of view, especially considering the previous film's groundwork. There's also another reason for it: Campbell rejected a return because she didn't agree with the compensation deal.
In a statement to Variety, Campbell stated, "Sadly, I won't be making the next 'Scream' film. As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to 'Scream.' I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."
Transformers: Age of Extinction
For the first three "Transformers" movies, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) takes center stage as the Autobots' human ally. However, by the third installment, it's clear Sam craves some normality in his life, which doesn't include endless inspirational monologues from Optimus Prime. Alternatively, maybe he got sick of hearing a Linkin Park song every time he was around Cybertron's finest and wanted out.
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" introduces the inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) as the new lead human character. As a soft reboot, the movie follows similar beats as the 2007 original, as Cade gets pulled into the Autobots' business and does what is right to save the world and help his new friends. Sam, though, is nowhere to be found here.
So, what happened to Mr. Witwicky? According to "Transformers: The Last Knight," he appears to have died off-screen between "Dark of the Moon" and "The Last Knight." In real life, the reason for LaBeouf's disappearance is a lot less dramatic, as he thought he had achieved everything there was to achieve as the character. "I just don't think right now there's anywhere to take Sam," he told MTV.
The Next Karate Kid
Everyone wishes they had a mentor and friend like Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) in their life. While the other kids in The Valley are learning about sweeping legs and showing no mercy, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) meets Miyagi, who teaches him all about karate and important life lessons in "The Karate Kid." For three films, LaRusso and Miyagi are joined at the hip as they conquer the All-Valley Karate Tournament twice and even visit Miyagi's village in Okinawa, Japan.
However, in the fourth movie, "The Next Karate Kid," Miyagi receives the opportunity to teach a new student: Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank). Unlike Daniel, Julie has anger issues as she struggles to deal with the tragic death of her parents. Thanks to Miyagi's lessons and friendship, Julie achieves a state of peace and balance — while also kicking the stuffing out of bullies.
According to Macchio's comments to Uproxx, he was aware of "The Next Karate Kid" being mooted but claims he was never contacted about an appearance. "It wasn't like they came to me and [I] said, 'Oh no, I'll never do another one of these,'" he said. "None of that happened. I think it was probably a decision by the studio and producer at that point, 'Hey, let's take this in this direction, let's find another way to go.'" Macchio would return to play Daniel in "Cobra Kai."
Son of the Mask
It's safe to say 1994 belonged to Jim Carrey, as he starred in the three hottest comedies of the year: "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "Dumb and Dumber," and "The Mask." Out of these roles, his smokin' turn as Stanley Ipkiss in "The Mask" still gets fans talking. From his show-stopping number at the Coco Bongo to his ensemble rendition of "Cuban Pete" with the officers, Carrey unleashes a timeless performance.
The expectation was that Carrey would return for a sequel, especially considering how "The Mask" made $351.6 million worldwide from a $23 million budget. This didn't happen, though, as Jamie Kennedy boarded 2005's "Son of the Mask." This sequel follows Kennedy's character, Tim Avery, whose dog, Otis, finds the magical mask and brings it to his owner. Tim puts it on, transforms into the green-faced being, and conceives a child with his wife while wearing the mask. If the title didn't give it away, yes, Tim's son is born with the mask's powers.
Unfortunately, "Son of the Mask" couldn't even muster an iota of the original's success. It flopped at the box office, making under $59.9 million against an $84 million budget, and received a critical battering, holding an abysmal 6% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In a 2020 interview with ComicBook.com, Carrey revealed he would still consider returning for a "Mask" sequel if the right director was involved.
The Bourne Legacy
From "The Bourne Identity" to "The Bourne Ultimatum," it's no secret who the main character is here: Jason Bourne. Matt Damon portrays the all-action CIA assassin, and it's fair to say much of the series' success hinges on the star power that the celebrated actor brings. However, Damon decided against returning for the fourth movie, "The Bourne Legacy," which was released in 2012.
Rather than recast Bourne, a new character called Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) was created so that the story could continue in a different direction, but still within the "Bourne" Universe. In this movie, it's all about the fallout after Operation Treadstone and Blackbriar's secrets are exposed. Cross is marked for death since he's a subject of the controversial Operation Outcome. Expectedly, Cross isn't prepared to stand there and get popped in the head, so he fights back.
Damon opted out of returning for the fourth installment because director Paul Greengrass had departed the series. "I wouldn't do it without him but I don't feel like he's done with it totally," Damon told Entertainment Weekly. "I think he'd change his mind if a good script came along. If there was a great Bourne idea, he would love to do it." No lies were told here, as both Damon and Greengrass returned for 2016's "Jason Bourne."
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
While the "Fast and the Furious" series might be known for Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner's (Paul Walker) need for speed, the early sequels tried to do something different. "2 Fast 2 Furious" is notable for not having Toretto present, though Brian does lead the film. However, the third entry, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," switches lanes to an entirely new character.
Teenager Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) isn't a fan of speed limits — or a safe driving style for that matter — and gets into serious trouble after a car crash. To avoid jail time, he is shipped off to live with his father in Japan. Of course, he gets sucked into the underground racing scene there and ticks off the Yakuza in the process. Dom does make a cameo appearance at the film's end; however, this is mostly Sean's story.
While "Tokyo Drift" might have seemed like a puzzling turn for the franchise to take at the time, it actually proved to be pivotal since it introduced Sean and fan-favorite character Han Lue (Sung Kang). No one could have predicted how big the "Fast" universe would get in the future, but thanks to films like this, it helped to expand this wild and wacky world and give Dom more family members.
Evan Almighty
When "Bruce Almighty" was released in 2003, it caught audiences off guard — and was even accused of blasphemy in certain sectors. It's a unique concept, as it sees news reporter Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) lash out at God (Morgan Freeman), so he receives the opportunity from the Almighty to take a stab at His job for one week. Of course, hilarity ensues, and Bruce learns a valuable life lesson in the process.
For "Evan Almighty," Bruce's rival from the first film, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), is placed in the driver's seat. In this 2007 movie, Evan is now a congressman when he receives word from God that a great flood is coming, so Evan needs to create an ark that will be paramount to saving everyone.
According to two "Bruce Almighty" screenwriters, Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe, Carrey was interested in returning to play Bruce again — but in a much different story than what the sequel was about. "His manager and him wanted to do 'Brucifer,'" Koren told SYFY WIRE. "We went in and pitched it, but it never quite worked out because it was later on ... It would have been another giant movie, and I don't think [the studio] wanted to do it. It just didn't work out for some reason, but a lot of people loved it, including Jim."
Final Destination 2
In 2000, the horror film "Final Destination" debuted and presented an interesting existential question: Can someone really dodge fate? The movie is a twisty and nervy spectacle, as Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) and his schoolmates try to figure out what Death's plan is after they avoid a fatal plane crash. Not many characters survive all the way to the credits; however, Alex and Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) are left standing at the end.
The "Final Destination" concept certainly found its audience and kicked off a slew of sequels. Many fans expected to see Alex and Clear continue their exercise of trying to outwit Death, but it was only Clear who returned for "Final Destination 2" to help a new group of survivors. In the movie, it's revealed Alex died after a brick fell on his head. What a way to go, right?
So, why did Alex meet such an unceremonious end when he was arguably the first film's star? According to producer Craig Perry, it was a storytelling choice. "It had everything to do with narrative and nothing to do with money or Devon's unwillingness to come back," Perry told Film Threat.
Bird Box Barcelona
When it comes to movies that make the audience sit on the edge of their seat, 2018's "Bird Box" is up there. It's an uneasy watch as the characters try to navigate this world where they cannot lay eyes on mysterious creatures that will cause them to die by suicide. The first movie follows Malorie Hayes (Sandra Bullock), who takes her children and journeys across this post-apocalyptic world to find a sanctuary. In the end, they find a new place to call home.
"Bird Box Barcelona" continues this basic premise but takes place in Barcelona, Spain. Bullock's Malorie is no longer the main character, as Claire (Georgina Campbell), Sebastián (Mario Casas), and a group of other survivors are thrust into a perilous situation. However, their path is filled with different twists and turns than Malorie's.
Considering the "Bird Box" concept is centered on a global event, it's possible to have the series develop as an anthology that follows different characters in each installment. After all, it feels like every film wraps up the respective characters' arcs conclusively.
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Speed 2: Cruise Control
1994's "Speed" helped showcase Keanu Reeves' action star credentials. In the thriller, he portrays Jack Traven — a member of the bomb squad who boards a bus set to explode if the speed drops below 50 miles per hour. Bus driver Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) ends up being an ally here, as the two team up to save the passengers and stop the bad guy's scheme.
"Speed" made $121.2 million domestically against a $30 million budget, so naturally, ideas for a sequel swirled around. However, Reeves decided not to return. "At the time, I didn't respond to the script," he explained on "The Graham Norton Show" years later. "I really wanted to work with Sandra Bullock. I really loved playing Jack Traven. And I loved 'Speed.' It was like, okay, a bus, we're going, but now it's on an ocean liner? It wasn't anything against the artists involved with the project, but at that time ... I'm sure we have all had this when things just don't feel right."
"Speed 2: Cruise Control" sees Jason Patric's Alex Shaw replace Jack as the lead. Alex is introduced as Annie's new boyfriend and he's forced to jump into action when a villain hijacks the cruise ship they are on. The sequel didn't connect with the audience, with Patric even dubbing it pointless.
Hard Target 2
What's the best part of 1993's "Hard Target"? That's difficult to answer. It could be Chance Boudreaux's (Jean-Claude Van Damme) incredible mullet, or it could be the fact he punches a snake out for daring to hiss at him. Regardless, the John Woo-directed action flick is a non-stop 97-minute thrill ride that sees Chance agreeing to help Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) find her father and fight off the endless stream of rogues.
Thanks to Woo's Hong Kong action style and JCVD being JCVD, "Hard Target" has become a cult classic over the years. It might not have the flowers that "Universal Soldier" or "Bloodsport" does, but it deserves all the warm fuzzies it has accumulated since its release.
In 2016, "Hard Target 2" went straight to video. Despite its title, this film had absolutely nothing to do with the original and didn't even feature Van Damme. Instead, the story centers on former MMA fighter Wes Baylor (Scott Adkins), who is tricked into going into a jungle and then being hunted by a group of people. While it might not have the same classic appeal as the original "Hard Target," Adkins doesn't hold back in the action department and puts on the martial arts display everyone expects from any film bearing his name.
American Ninja 3: The Blood Hunt
In the mid-1980s, Cannon Films brought joy to the hearts of action aficionados around the world with the release of "American Ninja," starring Michael Dudikoff as Private Joe Armstrong. In the film, Joe is an amnesiac who demonstrates superior ninjitsu ability, but he has no idea why. Later, it's revealed that he was adopted by Shinyuki (John Fujioka), who trained him in the lethal martial art until an explosion separated them.
Joe returns for the sequel, "American Ninja 2: The Confrontation," where he teams up with his army buddy from the first film, Curtis Jackson (Steve James), to kick some more tail. However, when "American Ninja 3: The Blood Hunt" rolled by in 1989, Joe was nowhere to be found, as Sean Davidson (David Bradley) replaces him as the new American Ninja and battles an evil group known as the Cobra — no, not the same baddies from "G.I. Joe."
According to Trailers from Hell, Dudikoff didn't return because the film was shot in South Africa, where Apartheid was still institutionalized, and the actor opposed it. Dudikoff would reprise his role as Joe in "American Ninja 4: The Annihilation," where he combines with Sean for the ultimate action team-up.