Summary
- Movie character recasts are often necessary when actors die during production, but they can be complicated and costly due to scheduling conflicts.
- In some cases, stand-ins, CGI, old footage, and scene changes are used instead of recasting to honor the deceased actors.
- Despite the challenges, movies find ways to complete filming and pay tribute to the actors, using various techniques such as recasting, reshooting, and incorporating existing footage.
There have been instances throughout productions where an actor has died during production, which has led to multiple movie character recasts to ensure filming is complete. Unfortunately, there have been many cases of actors dying while they are in the middle of filming a movie. There has been a mixture of cases, with the majority happening off of set but some tragically happening on set. The circ*mstances bring productions to a halt as they deal with their loss, but the pressure of filming to deadlines always looms. Productions are often on tight and expensive schedules, which means any change in casting can cost a lot of money.
Recasting does not always work, although there are some great movie recasts that have worked very well. However, re-shoots alone can be complicated because they have to bring back the other actors who may be on a new production, so their schedules no longer coincide. Each added day of production affects everyone involved, so more often than not, when an actor dies during filming, they are not recast, but stand-ins, CGI, old footage, and scene changes are used instead. Plus, movies want to honor their actors and not remove them, especially when filming is nearly complete, so recasting is done in different ways to ensure they still feature in the movie.
11 Aaliyah In The Matrix Reloaded
Aaliyah was cast as Zee in The Matrix Reloaded, which was filmed alongside The Matrix Resolutions in 2001 and 2002. At this point, Aaliyah had a hugely successful music career and was set to go down the same route within movies. Sadly, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas, along with eight other passengers. The 22-year-old was flying back from filming her “Rock the Boat” music video when the tragedy happened. Aaliyah’s role as Zee was recast to Nona Gaye, the daughter of Martin Gaye. Gaye re-shot the scenes Aaliyah had already been a part of, and it is still Gaye’s most memorable performance to date.
10 Chris Farley In Shrek
American comedian Chris Farley was the original Shrek, although the movies would have looked quite different from the Shrek movies that are popular now. Farley had recorded the majority of Shrek’s lines before his untimely death in 1997 from a drug overdose when he was only 33. Mike Myers was recast as Shrek, and the script was rewritten, with Myers adding Shrek’s famous Scottish accent but taking inspiration from some of Farley’s lines. The entire Shrek production was redone, including Shrek’s appearance, but some of Farley’s Shrek footage can now be watched alongside the original drawings.
9 Bela Lugosi In Plan 9 From Outer Space
Bela Lugosi, best known for his role in Dracula playing the titular character, was in the middle of filming Plan 9 From Outer Space when he died. Lugosi died of cardiac arrest before he had finished filming all of his scenes, and his character was recast, sort of. Tom Mason stepped in for Lugosi, and his scenes consisted of his face being mainly covered by a cape. This was because director Ed Wood still used Lugosi’s scenes in Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Mason was used almost as a stand-in. Mason, Wood’s wife’s chiropractor, bore no resemblance to Lugosi, with a noticeable height difference, making it one of the strangest recasts in film history.
8 Richard Harris In Harry Potter
Richard Harris played Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the first two installments of Harry Potter. At 72, Harris died of Hodgkin’s disease before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had started filming. With six Harry Potter movies remaining, Dumbledore was recast, and Michael Gambon took on the role just as eloquently as Harris. The Harry Potter movies have been extremely successful, with both Dumbledores and Gambon has hailed his predecessor Harris for being the reason behind his own success in the role.
7 Heath Ledger In The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Heath Ledger was set to be one of the biggest stars due to his already fantastic filmography, including his posthumously awarded role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, before his tragic death aged only 28. Ledger died of an accidental overdose while filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as Tony. Most of Ledger’s close-ups had been filmed already, and Zander Glandish was used as a stand-in for some earlier scenes. The script was changed for the latter half of the movie, and Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law played different versions of Tony due to Tony’s appearance changing as he entered different worlds.
6 James Dean In Giant
Despite a short five-year career, James Dean is considered a cultural icon in the film industry. Rebel Without a Cause shot him to fame, and he starred in East of Eden and Giant before a car accident tragically ended his life when he was 24 years old. Dean had not completed filming Giant when he died, and although filming had pretty much finished, there was one scene he needed to be recast for. One of Dean’s scenes was barely inaudible, so his close friend and actor Nick Adams was brought in to dub some of Dean’s lines as Jett Rink.
5 Oliver Reed In Gladiator
Gladiator was in the middle of filming in 1999 when Oliver Reed, playing Proximo, died due to a heart attack. Most of Reed’s scenes had been filmed, and director Ridley Scott wanted to keep Reed in Gladiator, so a complete recasting was not an option. Instead, a stand-in actor was used to complete Reed’s scenes, his likeness was transposed with CGI, and his voice was recreated by an impersonator. Although not an easy feat, Gladiator is still highly praised and was dedicated to Reed.
4 Paul Walker In Fast & Furious Franchise
A shocking death was that of Paul Walker in 2013, who died in a car crash midway through filming Furious 7, the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. Walker had starred in all the Fast and Furious movies up until his death, and the production wanted to honor him in the best way possible instead of removing him from Furious 7 or canceling the movie entirely, which was seriously considered. Completing Walker’s scenes in Furious 7 was done in many ways, including old shots and images from previous movies. Also, his brothers, Caleb and Cody, stepped in to perform his scenes. Walker’s face was then placed on his brothers’ with CGI.
3 Brandon Lee In The Crow
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Brandon Lee, son of Martial Arts legend Bruce Lee, tragically died on set while filming The Crow. A prop gun accidentally fired a metal shard with the blank used on set, hitting Lee and sadly killing him at 28 years old. Stunt doubles Chad Stahelski and Jeff Cadiente were cast to fulfill Lee’s remaining scenes, and Lee’s face was put onto them using CGI. 1994’s The Crow was the first time a dead actor was recreated with CGI, meaning Lee’s death also pioneered a way for actors to complete their work in tragic circ*mstances.
2 Bruce Lee In Game Of Death
Twenty years before Brandon Lee’s death, Bruce Lee also died during the production of a movie, the 1978 Game of Death. Dying at only the age of 32 due to cerebral edema, Game of Death halted production due to Lee’s passing in 1973. However, Game of Death started again in 1978, and Bruce Lee was recast with stand-ins and some plot changes. Unfortunately, Game of Death is not rated well, and many do not believe it was the best way to honor Lee’s sterling career.
1 Natalie Wood In Brainstorm
Natalie Wood was in the middle of filming Brainstorm when she sadly died due to drowning under suspicious circ*mstances in 1981. Brainstorm took a production break after Wood’s death and was nearly shut down as Wood’s death, alongside financial difficulties, almost sank the movie. However, Brainstorm was completed, but a small number of Wood’s scenes had not been filmed at the time of her death. Her sister, Lana Wood, was recast and used as a stand-in. Lana Wood was only seen from behind in Wood’s remaining scenes, and the script was rewritten. Wood’s movie character recast is up there with one of the most damaging to productions, as her co-star Christopher Walken was a person of interest in her death.
