Casts can get disrupted for a variety of reasons, sometimes schedules change, sometimes personal
problems can lead an actor to drop out.
In some cases, things still turn out well, or even better, for the films in question...
but in others, it damages the cast's chemistry and dooms the film.
One of the most famous re-castings of all time was that of Eric Stoltz in Back to the
Future.
Stoltz was the original Marty McFly, a time-traveling teenager who's accidentally sent back to the
year 1955.
He was replaced with Michael J. Fox a little over a month into shooting.
Lea Thompson, who played Marty's mom Lorraine, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that the
switch was "very difficult" for her, as she was "very good friends" with Stoltz.
Fellow castmate Christopher Lloyd, who starred as inventor Doc Brown, gave a radio interview
in 2012 and described the moment the cast found out Stoltz was history.
It was during an intense period of night shooting after he'd been working with Stoltz every
night for three weeks.
He noted that Stoltz was a "very good actor," but producers needed "someone with more of
a comic flair" in the role.
Lloyd was "terrified" when he re-shot his scenes with Fox, but he was happy that it
all worked out in the end.
Great Scott, did it ever.
This young adult romance between high school student Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen
captivated readers and moviegoers around the globe.
In the first two Twilight films, the vampire Victoria was played by Rachelle Lefevre.
But in the third entry, Eclipse, Victoria didn't seem like her old self, as Lefevre
had been replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard.
Summit Entertainment and Lefevre had an awkwardly public battle over the move, with the actress
saying she was "stunned" and the studio countering that they were "disappointed" by her "attempt
to make her career choices the fault of the studio."
Whether the fault lay with Lefevre's scheduling or Summit's ruthlessness, the switch was hard
on her castmates.
Jackson Rathbone, who played Cullen coven member Jasper Hale, noted that Lefevre was
a dear friend whom he was going to miss terribly.
And Peter Facinelli, who starred as Edward's adoptive father, declared that he loved her
"like a sister."
Ang Lee picked up a Best Director Oscar for Life of Pi, his adaption of Yann Martel's
novel in which a man retells the story of his weeks surviving a shipwreck at the age
of 16.
Adrift on the Pacific Ocean, with only a Bengal tiger in his lifeboat for company, his story
is told to a writer who is played in the film by Rafe Spall.
But originally that part was filled by Tobey Maguire.
Lee ended up removing Maguire after shooting wrapped because he felt his presence took
away from the story.
He insisted that he "loved Tobey," whom he had worked with previously in 1997's The Ice
Storm.
But he worried that it would be distracting to have a big movie star sitting there for
such a small part.
Irrfan Khan, who played the adult Pi, was jarred by the recasting, as it meant he had
to reshoot those scenes.
He was worried about having to make a big emotional investment all over again, but it
ended up working out, as he learned from his director to use the opportunity constructively.
There was a lot of pressure to deliver satisfying sequels to The Matrix, the groundbreaking
1999 sci-fi cyberpunk classic.
That pressure only increased when numerous production issues led observers to wonder
if the series was cursed.This included numerous deaths of cast members including Gloria Foster,
who played the Oracle and who passed away just after the filming of The Matrix Reloaded.
And there was also the tragic case of Aaliyah, who was initially cast as Zee in Reloaded.
The singer and actress was killed in a plane crash at the age of 22 in the midst of production.
Co-star Harold Perrineau remembered her fondly.
"It was a really hard loss.
Personally, it was a really hard loss, for the community of music and entertainment,
and we'll miss her."
The re-audition process for Zee took many months.
Eventually Nona Gaye, daughter of singer Marvin Gaye, was cast as her replacement.
The drama on the set of 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau is legendary.
It may have started when Bruce Willis had to drop out of the lead role and director
Richard Stanley was reportedly told the only way to save the film was to hire Val Kilmer,
who ultimately realized his leverage and allegedly started making demands.
Stanley was eventually replaced by John Frankenheimer, but that didn't stop Kilmer from causing disruptions.
According to crew members, he would arrive late, change dialogue, and bully the cast
and crew.
One witness reported that he even intentionally burned a cameraman "right on his face" with
a cigarette.
Kilmer's behavior also led him to a feud with co-star Marlon Brando.
Kilmer repeatedly refused to emerge from his trailer until Brando was on set, and Brando
would only come on to the set after a private discussion with Frankenheimer.
According to the director, this led to days going by without any footage being shot, as
extras sat around in their makeup and full costumes in the heat.
When Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson were announced as the stars of Fifty Shades of
Grey, it looked like they had the chemistry necessary for the bondage-laced tale.
Yet that chemistry wasn't enough to keep Hunnam on board.
Four weeks before shooting was set to commence, he dropped out, citing scheduling conflicts.
Johnson later explained during an interview with David Letterman that it was "a confusing
moment" for her.
Hunnam's replacement, Jamie Dornan, seemed to mollify some fan objection but by all accounts
lacked the "chemistry" Johnson had with Hunnam.
For one thing, their press tour was low energy.
"Is there than instant chemistry?
No, you hate each other.
He's hard to work with."
And while the film was a hit, the pair didn't generate enough sparks to win over most critics.