# Recast Movies That Didn't Need It... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850 "2010-05-10T00:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/1 "2010-05-10T00:00:20Z")
- and try to make the best of things. So pick a good movie with a solid cast, and pretend you’re the casting director who has just lost a big chunk of your main cast. The only rule is that your replacement actors need to be alive and somewhat age-appropriate during the filming. If your choice of movie is good enough, odds are your cast can’t make it better, but points\* are awarded for making the best of a bad situation. \*there are no points ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/2 "2010-05-10T18:43:37Z")
Fun concept. I was hoping to see replies (because apparently I’m incapable of checking the reply count before I open a thread). So, when I didn’t, I started working on recasting Pulp Fiction and, man… Now I know why you don’t have any replies. This is _hard_. I’ll pop back in if I come up with anything that isn’t too embarrassing to post. Maybe I set the bar too high with that particular film. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/3 "2010-05-10T18:51:19Z")
Wait, so do we have to use actors that were of age at the time a film was made - or as if we were making the film now w/ the current crop of talent? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/4 "2010-05-10T19:02:01Z")
Good question, **Ninj**. Because I was just about to recast Michelle Trachtenberg in Mathilda May’s part in **Lifeforce**. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/5 "2010-05-10T19:14:44Z")
Ok, for now I’m going off of the OP’s statement that we’re the casting director and have lost a big chunk of the cast… and that the actors must be alive/age appropriate during filming. So let’s get into the Way Back Machine and travel back to 1992 to recast one of my favorite movies of all time, with one of the best ensemble casts of all time: **Glengarry Glen Ross**. I’ll just post the original actor w/ who I would replace them with. I’m not going to look up the character names… Al Pacino - Christopher Walken Jack Lemmon - Jack Warden Alan Arkin - Harvey Keitel Alec Baldwin - Richard Gere Ed Harris - Bill Paxton Kevin Spacey - James Woods Jonathan Pryce - Bob Hoskins ---
**Author:** ![Mannish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mannish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mannish)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/6 "2010-05-10T19:15:22Z")
_The Usual Suspects_ - Gabriel Byrne was always so frustratingly miscast as Dean Keaton IMO (A dirty NY cop with a Irish brogue, really?). If I had my druthers I’d replace him with Chazz Palminteri (obviously!) and as Agent Cujan cast Christopher Walken (who was reportedly offered the role) instead… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/7 "2010-05-10T19:36:00Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > Ed Harris - Bill Paxton Wah-waaaaaah. You killed the movie. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/8 "2010-05-10T19:44:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Wah-waaaaaah. You killed the movie. I know. Ed Harris’ role was pretty low key though and I couldn’t think of anyone else to plug in there. ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recast-movies-that-didnt-need-it/538850/9 "2010-05-10T20:48:21Z")
Okay, here goes nothing. Using the “if it was filmed today” angle: Pulp Fiction Vincent- Colin Farrel\* Jules- Jamie Foxx\* Butch- Gerard Butler Mia- Marion Cotillard Marcellus- Djimon Hounsou Lance- James Franco The Wolf- Dennis Farina Jimmy- Peter Skarsgard Ringo- Dominic Monagan Yolanda- Amy Acker \*Yes, I know I’m not casting “Miami Vice 2.” I’m serious.