15 Franchises That Traded Faces

01 of 15

Henry Cavill in Man of Steel

Henry Cavill, Man of Steel | Cavill was nearly cast as the Man of Steel almost a decade ago, before being replaced by Brandon Routh when director Bryan Singer took over — Clay Enos

Cavill was nearly cast as the Man of Steel almost a decade ago, before being replaced by Brandon Routh when director Bryan Singer took over for McG and made Superman Returns. Fate may have worked in his favor, as Cavill's son of Krypton is a more complicated hero in a more complicated world. One thing hasn't changed, though: he certainly looks the part. —Jeff Labrecque

02 of 15

Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy

Jeremy Renner, The Bourne Legacy | Whether in character-driven films ( The Hurt Locker , The Town ) or action-packed star vehicles ( Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol , The Avengers ), Renner — Mary Cybulski

Whether in character-driven films (The Hurt Locker, The Town) or action-packed star vehicles (Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, The Avengers), Renner has emerged as one of Hollywood's most dependable actors in recent years. Of course, that didn't make the task of stepping into Matt Damon's shoes in the genre-changing Bourne franchise any less daunting. But Renner has an innate dexterity as an actor, including a ''default intensity [and] the way he conveys that complicated mental calculations are taking place under cover of watchful stillness'' (per Lisa Schwarzbaum), that transformed his turn as Aaron Cross from a Damon downgrade to a sequel-worthy standalone. All that's without mentioning that the two-time Oscar nominee can wear the heck out of a well-tailored suit. What's not to love? —Lanford Beard

03 of 15

Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man

Tobey Maguire reinvented the onscreen superhero in the original Spider-Man trilogy, making his Peter Parker a desperately romantic noble dweeb with a firm moral core. Those were big shoes to fill, but the more conventionally attractive Garfield gives his younger Peter Parker a darker edge in the new Spidey reboot. EW's Lisa Schwarzbaum noted that Garfield mixes ''self-effacing sweetness with believable teen boy arrogance.'' The admittedly geeky Brits' first outing as Spidey didn't quite measure up to the box office splash of Maguire, but it was a solid start, prompting execs to slate a sequel for 2014, and two more after that. —Darren Franich

04 of 15

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale

The cast of the Bond series has been shaken up more times than a properly made martini, and we're all familiar with the order of succession: Connery begat Moore, who begat Dalton, who begat Brosnan, who begat Craig. (Don't forget to throw a Lazenby in there somewhere.) Craig's latest incarnation is grittier and more scowl-prone than his predecessors, but he's 007 through and through. —Keith Staskiewicz

05 of 15

Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers

For the big-screen Hulk, third time actually was the charm. Eric Bana and Edward Norton both put their own spins on tortured scientist Bruce Banner. But when Ruffalo took on the role, he explicitly took his cues from Bill Bixby (who played Banner in the late-'70s TV show), creating a more amused Banner. Thanks to performance-capture technology, Ruffalo was also the first actor to play both Banner and his big green alter ego. —Darren Franich

06 of 15

The kids in the National Lampoon's Vacation series

The Vacation films recast the younger Griswolds so much that the meta-joke about Audrey and Rusty's disposability eventually trumped any individual actor's performance. Over the years Rusty has been played by future nerd icons Anthony Michael Hall (Vacation) and Johnny Galecki (Christmas Vacation), as well as Ethan Embry (Vegas Vacation), while Audrey's most recognizable portrayal is Christmas's Juliette Lewis. —Keith Staskiewicz

07 of 15

Bryce Dallas Howard in Twilight

Ginger vampire baddie Victoria, played by actress Rachelle Lefevre, was a minor character in the first two Twlight films. For The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, producers replaced Lefevre with Howard. This isn't the first time Howard stepped into a role originated by someone else: She replaced Nicole Kidman in the Dogville sequel Manderlay and took over for Claire Danes in Terminator Salvation. —Darren Franich

08 of 15

Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs

Hopkins' predatory performance as erudite monster Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs was so memorable that many forgot the character had been played a few years earlier by Brian Cox in Manhunter, Michael Mann's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. It's a much smaller role — it had to be beefed up for Hopkins in Brett Ratner's tone-deaf remake — but Cox manages to tap into his own vein of high-IQ insidiousness. —Keith Staskiewicz

09 of 15

Steve Martin in The Pink Panther

Peter Sellers found his defining role as Inspector Clouseau, the pratfall-prone French-accented sleuth. Steve Martin may be a comedy god, but his Clouseau just can't compete: Whereas Sellers brought an odd bit of frustrated dignity to the part, Martin's Clouseau is just a clown. Still, the 2006 remake did well enough to justify a (terrible) sequel. —Darren Franich

10 of 15

Christian Bale in Batman Begins

Every actor who has played Batman has brought something to the role: Adam West brought a campy zaniness, Christian Bale brought a gravelly gravitas, and George Clooney brought nipples. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer also tried on the cowl — not to mention Kevin Conroy's animated work — but all these switch-ups behind the mask only emphasize the point that Batman isn't just a man, he's also an idea. And a bat. —Keith Staskiewicz

11 of 15

Ray Stevenson in Punisher: War Zone

As Titus Pullo on Rome, Stevenson was a towering incarnation of pure badassery. Hopes were high when he was cast as Frank Castle in the Punisher reboot, but the humorless film left Stevenson stranded as a morose sociopath. It was pretty much just as bad as Thomas Jane's 2004 Punisher. And neither film was really an improvement on the 1989 Punisher, which at least has the intrinsic camp value of a lead performance by Dolph Lundgren. —Darren Franich

12 of 15

Harrison Ford in Patriot Games

Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy's all-purpose hero with a specialty in solving global crises at the last minute, has never had the benefit of being closely associated with a specific actor. The closest would have been Harrison Ford, who played Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, but his iconic character plate was already too full with Indy and Han. Alec Baldwin had already played Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, and Ben Affleck would go on to play him in The Sum of All Fears. Is it any surprised the Ryan brand is diluted? —Keith Staskiewicz

13 of 15

Maria Bello in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

As franchises stretch over years, the expectation that all parties will return movie after movie becomes less likely. While Johnny Depp faithfully punches the clock every morning at the Pirates factory, others like Matt Damon have decided to move on from their more memorable characters. Back in 2008 — when Hollywood thought the best way to honor Olympic host country China was by turning its history into a cinematic theme park ride — Rachel Weisz jumped ship on the increasingly nonsensical Mummy series, but her character still returned, albeit a bit fairer and more Bello-y than before. —Keith Staskiewicz

14 of 15

Everybody in Star Trek

After the Star Trek franchise had been extended into the far future, the distant past, and the furthest reaches of the galaxy, J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot focused on the cast from the original series. Fans were skeptical about Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto replacing William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, but the new Trek ensemble charmed audiences, then did it again in this summer's Into Darkness. —Darren Franich

15 of 15

Rin Tin Tin

When the original Rin Tin Tin died in 1932, he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Luckily, the German Shepherd's progeny was there to take his place, and Rin Tin Tin, Jr. starred in a number of popular films — often sharing his father's nickname ''Rinty'' — and even took over recording sound effects for the radio series. By the time 1954's TV series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin came along, they were already on Rin Tin Tin IV. —Keith Staskiewicz