10 Movie Recasts That Totally Trolled Fans

Hollywood is very much in the business of making sequels. When they've got their hands on a bankable IP, you'd better believe they will do their damnedest to turn it into a franchise or at least pump out a cheap follow-up. This often comes hand in hand with a ton of success, like, oh, you know, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe! But, it's not always a smooth ride, and one tricky speed bump that can appear is recasting.

The art of replacing an actor is something cinema has gotten very used to, as actors don't always choose to reprise their roles. Whether this is because of scheduling conflicts, creative differences or other mishaps, it's safe to say that production companies can't always keep their favourite stars.

Most movies with major casting changes try to brush it under the rug. The Dark Knight, Hannibal, Harry Potter and more have dipped their toes into this, proving that even the biggest names can fall into this trap.

However, there are some brave flicks that not only acknowledge their pasts but actively poke fun at them, trolling you and turning their sudden facelifts into a joke. It just goes to show that referencing your casting changes can turn that elephant in the room into some great humour.

If you were a kid in the late 90s, then you probably loved Disney's George of the Jungle. To be fair, who doesn't love Brendan Fraser? Since it found success, Disney decided to churn out a direct-to-video sequel, and thus, George of the Jungle 2 was born.

The first movie dipped its toes into shattering the fourth wall, with the narrator often interacting with the characters, so the second instalment kept that going. This sequel opened with the omniscient narrator setting the scene, but things got confusing once George appeared, and there was no sight of Fraser. Who the heck was this?

Well, the new George answered that question by walking right up to the camera and saying, "Me new George. Studio too cheap to pay Brendan Fraser". Oh wow, now that's some brutal honesty there. The narrator then asked, "how did you get the part?" to which the newly cast Christopher Showerman said, "new George just lucky, I guess".

It's safe to say that Showerman did not match the loveable charm of Fraser, and this movie was the same quality you would expect from a cheap straight-to-video Disney sequel. Still, looking right into the eyes of the audience and poking fun at people expecting to see their favourite 90s star was a pretty hilarious way to open.