Worst2First: My Top Ten Actors Who Didn't Appear in Their Sequels

Worst2First:
My Top Ten Actors Who Didn't Appear in Their Sequels

Sometimes actors hit it big with a major blockbuster that solidifies them as A-list actors, and they go on to star in sequel after sequel until the original film is nothing more than a fond memory as the sequels to come only squandered the good grace of the first. Then there's actors who appear in a major blockbuster who refuse to star in the sequels for one reason or another, and more often than not it was a great decision. Here are my personal top ten actors who didn't appear in their blockbuster sequels...

**THERE WILL BE MILD SPOILERS!**

#10

Keanu Reeves
Speed 2: Cruise Control

"Speed" was a career-making vehicle for its stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, and went on to earn over $121 million dollars domestically, earning the title of fifth highest grossing film of 1994, so it came as no surprise that a sequel was greenlit. Both Bullock and director Jan de Bont returned, but Keanu Reeves opted out of the project, revealing to Jimmy Kimmel that "I read the script and I was like, 'Ugggghh.' It was about a cruise ship and I was thinking, 'a cruise ship is even slower than a bus,' and I was like, 'I love you guys, but I just can't do it.'" The result is "Speed 2: Cruise Control," a film that bombed on every level - but it did earn the Golden Raspberry for Worst Sequel in 1998.

#9

Jim Carrey
Son of the Mask

1994 was a "sssssssssssmokin'" year for Jim Carrey, having cemented his legendary comedic status in films like "The Mask," "Dumb and Dumber," and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Each film was huge success stories and spawned sequels, two of which Carrey appeared in ("Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and "Dumb and Dumber To"), but when it came to another "The Mask" sequel, Carrey turned down a buttload of money to appear in it, citing that he felt he had dome everything he needed to do in the original and it didn't warrant a sequel. He was right, as 2005's "Son of the Mask" was a failure all around, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs in cinematic history.

#8

Megan Fox
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay brought the believed 1980s animated series to live action life in "Transformers" back in 2007 to an impressive $319 million dollar domestic haul, and it only served as the beginning a long-running franchise that continued to lose steam sequel after sequel. Megan Fox appeared in the first two films, but when it came time for the third film she was interviewed, and said of Michael Bay:
"He's like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous madman reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he's a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he's not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he's so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it's endearing to watch him. He's vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he's a tyrant. Shia and I almost die when we make a 'Transformers' movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do."
Obviously after an interview like that, some friction would result, and that came from producer Steven Spielberg, who felt Fox comparing Bay to Hitler went too far, and demanded she be fired. She was, and in the movie her character and Sam break up off-screen and he starts dating Carly, played by Rosie Hunitngton-Whiteley. Yet proving it's water under the bridge, Fox would later reunite with Michael Bay for his "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" films.

#7

Rachel Weisz
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

"The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" were hugely popular, highly profitable films for Universal Pictures, and both Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz greatly profited from their success. However, when it came time for the third film, even though Frasier and several other original cast members signed on, Weisz opted out. Some say it was because she didn't want to play the mother to a 21-year-old, while others say she didn't want to be away from her family for the long shooting duration, and others speculate that it was because she didn't like the script. In any event, her role was recast with Maria Bello, and the third film was an absolute dud, marking an end to the franchise.

#6

Katie Holmes
The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan brought his own vision of the Caped Crusader to the big screen in "Batman Begins," and it became a bonafide hit, and served as the beginning of his "Dark Knight" trilogy. The film starred Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Katie Holmes as his love interest Rachel Dawes. Yet when it came time to start filming for "The Dark Knight," Holmes bowed out of the project and was replaced with Maggie Gyllenhaal. Some believe it was due to Holmes filming "Mad Money" (anyone remember that?), but Holmes never really gave a reason why she departed from the critically acclaimed sequel, only saying that, "it was a decision that I made at that time and it was right for me at that moment, so I don't have any regrets. I think that Maggie did a wonderful job, but I really hope that I get to work with Chris someday."

#5

Will Smith
Independence Day: Resurgence

Roland Emmerich's blockbuster "Independence Day" still holds as one of the greatest action sci-fi epics of all time, and helped turn Will Smith from a television comedy star into a surefire action hero. Twenty years later, Emmerich decided to return to the well with "Independence Day: Resurgence," and while he managed to get most of the original cast back (including Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, and Judd Hirsch), Will Smith didn't return to the franchise due to conflicting schedules, and his character was written off the project as being killed in-between films. He went on to star in "Suicide Squad" as Deadshot, and while that film wasn't a huge success (although it did garner an Oscar win), "Resurgence" fared much worse, resulting in the demise of the franchise.

#4

Terrence Howard
Iron Man 2

"Iron Man" became THE staple for superhero films, and gave birth to the juggernaut Marvel Cinematic Universe, now twenty-six films (and multiple television shows) in. Terrence Howard played James Rhodey in the first "Iron Man," and as every comic book fan knows, Rhodey goes on to become War Machine, who fights alongside Tony Stark's Iron Man. While Rhodey didn't suit up in the first film, he did so in the second - and instead of Howard, James Rhodey was now played by Don Cheadle. While it wasn't obviously stated why Howard didn't return, rumblings of disagreements between the actor and Robert Downey Jr. surfaced, and ultimately Howard said he didn't return due to salary disputes. "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man...when it was time to re-up for the second one, he took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out," Howard went on record to say, claiming that he got RDJ the job in the first place and due to Marvel giving him more money (due to his Iron Man being the tentpole for their growing franchise), Howard opted not to continue on. Howard's loss is Cheadle's gain, as he's appeared in several "Iron Man" and "Avengers" films since, and will headline the "Armor Wars" series on Disney+, while Howard went on to do other non-MCU projects.

#3

Alan Cumming
X-Men: The Last Stand

"X2: X-Men United" was a huge success, one of those rare instances where the sequel far surpassed the original, and a large part of it had to do with the introduction of fan-favorite mutant Nightcrawler, played by Alan Cumming. When it came time for the third film, however, Cumming opted out of the project due to his desire not to endure the grueling hours-long process of makeup and prosthetics that turned him into Nightcrawler. "The Last Stand" surely suffered from his absence, as it became the least successful film in the franchise and brought it to a halt for a few years until the equally maligned "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" came out.

#2

Jamie Lee Curtis
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

John Carpenter's little independent film "Halloween" ballooned into a worldwide sensation, giving birth to the slasher genre as we know it, and introducing the world to iconic killer Michael Myers. While Carpenter planned on it being a one-and-done, the production company saw a cash cow and demanded he make a sequel. "Halloween II" was that sequel, and even though Carpenter wrote the script while drunk, it was also a huge success and cemented then-unknown Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate Scream Queen. Yet when it came time for "Halloween 4," ("Halloween III" has nothing to do with Michael Myers), Curtis was already a huge movie star and appeared in bigger projects like "Trading Places," "Perfect," and "A Fish Called Wanda," so she backed out of re-appearing as Laurie Strode. Her character in the film was killed off in a car crash, but Curtis wasn't done with the franchise - she returned in "Halloween H20," "Halloween Resurrection," and the modern-day reboot "Halloween" trilogy.

#1

Jodie Foster
Hannibal

"The Silence of the Lambs" is one of those ultra rare horror films that also garnered critical acclaim, and it even earned the Big Five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay), earning both Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster Oscars for their performances. Foster was always up for returning to the role of Clarice Starling, but when she read the script for "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris, she was turned off to the project due to the story "betraying" her character. Even though the script was re-tooled (the book's ending actually had Hannibal Lecter and Starling becoming lovers), Foster still opted out of the role, and Clarice Starling was played by Julianne Moore.