When a different actor shows up

[The Burgomaster]

One thing that bugs me is when a character shows up in a movie or TV show and is played by a different actor than the one who appeared in a previous movie or episode.

This happens a lot in James Bond movies (different Felix Leiters, different Ms, different Moneypennys . . . even different Bonds), but I'll give this one a Mulligan because the franchise has been around for so many years and the movies aren't really sequels . . . they are fine standing on their own as individual movies.

Here are a few that drive me nuts:

* The Lionel Jefferson who started out on ALL IN THE FAMILY was replaced by another guy who appeared frequently when THE JEFFERSONS got their own show.

* HAPPY DAYS had two different Chuck Cunninghams (and eventually, the character just mysteriously disappeared)

* The original WALKING TALL and its sequels had different Buford Pussers (Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson) . . . and different Carl Pussers (Noah Beery and Forrest Tucker).  Then there was a TV movie with Brian Dennehy as Buford Pusser and a short-lived TV series with Bo Svenson (again).

Those are just a few.  Let's see how many we can come up with.

[WingedSerpent]

First example I thought of was Maria Bello replacing Raqhel Weiz in the last mummy movie.  The character (not just the actor) seemed completely different.

Then there was Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes in the new Batman movies.

[Doggett]

Kristen Parker (From NOELS Part.III & IV) is played by two different actresses, Patricia Arquette and Tuesday Knight.

[3mnkids]

First example I thought of was Maria Bello replacing Raqhel Weiz in the last mummy movie.  The character (not just the actor) seemed completely different.

Then there was Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes in the new Batman movies.

Those two are great examples of how changing a character can be a really, really, bad idea (bello) or a really, really, great idea( Gyllenhaal)..

[Rev. Powell]

The two Darren's in "Bewitched."

The two Becky's in "Roseanne."

[Doggett]

Thomas Jane in The Punisher, Ray Stevenson in Punisher War Zone.

[Mr. DS]

Michael Gambon taking over as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series.  I actually preferred him though over Richard Harris. 

[Raffine]

* The Lionel Jefferson who started out on ALL IN THE FAMILY was replaced by another guy who appeared frequently when THE JEFFERSONS got their own show.

To add to the confusion Mike Evans (the original Lionel) returned to the role in the last few seasons.

In Bewitched there were also two Gladys Kravitzes and two Louise Tates.

FUN FACT! Kasey Rogers, the second Lousie Tate, also played Farley Grainger's scheming wife in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. She's the one whose murder by Robert Walker is reflected in her glasses.

[Mr. DS]

Julianne Moore taking over for Jodie Foster in Hannibal. 

[Trevor]

Julianne Moore taking over for Jodie Foster in Hannibal. 

I agree ~ that was a real what-the-hell moment for me. Julianne Moore is a talented actress but she wasn't Clarice Starling at all. 

[D-Man]

Thomas Jane in The Punisher, Ray Stevenson in Punisher War Zone.

This one really broke my heart.  I've seen Ray Stevenson in other things.  He is a much better actor than this movie shows, and he could have been an awesome Punisher.  But, he was saddled with a director who didn't know how utilize him properly, a horrible script, and two hokey villains.  The poor guy's career may never recover from this.

[Derf]

Michael Gambon taking over as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series.  I actually preferred him though over Richard Harris. 

I remember when I first heard that Richard Harris would be playing Dumbledore: I was excited to see what he would do with the role, knowing Dumbledore from the books as a half-crazy, bizarre character. Harris could have done this wonderfully a few years earlier. Then I saw the movie and was very disappointed that they'd turned him into a perfectly reasonable, serious-minded mentor. They really dropped the ball there. That said, after Harris died and they brought in Gambon, the Dumbledore character worked much better. Gambon still plays a too-serious headmaster, but he does it well, even if he looks too much like the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr).

[Monster Jungle X-Ray]

The two Becky's in "Roseanne."

iirc there was even a funny in-joke on the show when the 1st Becky came back about her appearance changing.

One that always grated on my nerves, and this is not live action, but when Daws Butler subbed for Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble on the Flintstones for a few episodes. Something about it was just very wrong.

The producers of the 90s Batman movies missed out on a golden opportunity in not casting Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face for the third movie as he was Harvey Dent in the previous two. Instead Tommy Lee Jones came off as a second rate imitation of the Joker/Riddler with very little characterization of his own.

[The Burgomaster]

One that always grated on my nerves, and this is not live action, but when Daws Butler subbed for Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble on the Flintstones for a few episodes. Something about it was just very wrong.

Good one . . . even when I was a little kid I noticed the difference and I didn't like it.

[WingedSerpent]

Thomas Jane in The Punisher, Ray Stevenson in Punisher War Zone.

This one really broke my heart.  I've seen Ray Stevenson in other things.  He is a much better actor than this movie shows, and he could have been an awesome Punisher.  But, he was saddled with a director who didn't know how utilize him properly, a horrible script, and two hokey villains.  The poor guy's career may never recover from this.

From what I understand-War Zone isn't really a sequal.  They just decided to start the movie franchise again and start again.  Kind of how The Incredible Hulk isn't really a sequel to the first Hulk movie.