Pick The Perfect Actor To Reboot The Role And We'll Guess Your Favorite Movie
- by Daniel Deakin
- – on
- in Movies and TV
When film producers are a little short of ideas or just can’t be bothered looking through stacks of scripts sent in by hopeful screenwriters, they can always turn to the tried and tested idea of a reboot. Some reboots come thick and fast (three different actors have played Spider-Man this century already) and others seem to take forever. Not all films deserve to be remade or rebooted, but a modern version of Gone with the Wind has the potential to be wonderful and would introduce Margaret Mitchell’s famous story to a new audience. Remakes of movies like Misery, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and even Sergio Leone’s famous Dollars Trilogy would not be unwelcome, and there's no denying Tomb Raider featuring Alicia Vikander looks like it will be a worthy reboot of the version starring Angelina Jolie.
Some of the characters on this list are already in the process of being rebooted. However, would film-makers seriously consider casting an actress as James Bond (Jane Bond surely)? Could an African American actor or an Englishman be considered for the role of Zorro? And wouldn’t Melissa McCarthy make a pretty cool Beetlejuice if Michael Keaton passed on the character he played so well? This list does mix things up a little in regard to gender, age and race, so expect to find some curve-balls here and there! But that’s just one of the many creative ingredients of movie making; it’s not always necessary to find someone who is exactly the same as the previous actor or actress for a famous role reboot. Also, there is always the chance that the perfect actor for a rebooted role was the person who last played it.
So choose the perfect actor or actress for the character reboot and we will guess your favorite movie!
James Bond
James Bond is the quintessential British spy. It would be easy to imagine Idris Elba kicking some butt and perhaps Emma Watson could shake (not stir) things up?
Robin
It's about time Robin got his own film really. But would Chris O'Donnell want to squeeze into that ridiculously tight costume once more?
Lois Lane
Amy Adams has been great as Lois Lane and who can forget Margot Kidder as the intrepid reporter? Who else would be willing to take on this iconic role?
Hellboy
Ron Perlman played Hellboy in the 2004 film and its 2008 sequel. A 2019 reboot will feature David Harbour as the titular character, but who else could be good in the role?
Harry Potter
Harry Potter films with the boy wizard all grown up and tackling evil are surely on the way. Should Daniel Radcliffe reprise the role?
John Shaft
Shaft was originally played by Richard Roundtree in 1971. Samuel L. Jackson played Shaft's nephew in 2000. 2019's Son of Shaft will feature both those actors and Jessie Usher as John Shaft III!
King Arthur
Charlie Hunnam tackled this role in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Unfortunately, the film flopped at the box office and a planned series of sequels was cancelled.
Superman
Henry Cavill has performed admirably as the world's most famous superhero. Cavill should be back as Superman for a part in 2019's Shazam!
Robin Hood
There is a Robin Hood film due out in 2018 with Taron Egerton (Kingsman) in the lead role. Imagine a female Robin and a male Marian - as both names can be given to males and females!
Batman
Ben Affleck may be giving up his cape sooner or later, so who could step in to play the Dark Knight? A theatrical serial of the caped crusader was made in 1943.
Wednesday Addams
Christine Ricci stole the show when she first played Wednesday Addams in 1991. It would be great fun to see this character again, either as a young adult or fully grown and still wreaking havoc!
Spider-Man
Tom Holland has just started playing Spider-Man and pulled out a great performance for Spider-Man: Homecoming. But there's always another young actor waiting in the wings to start spinning the webs.
Indiana Jones
Good luck to anyone who tries to follow Harrison Ford in this role. The late River Phoenix was great in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as the young Indy. Perhaps a reboot featuring an established Indy could work.
Ellen Ripley
Sigourney Weaver was all set to come back as Ripley for a fifth Alien movie, but the film was later cancelled. Now Weaver is busy with the Avatar movies, who could play a rebooted Ripley?
John McClane
The cockiest cop on the block. Bruce Willis was great as John McClane and is all set to bring him back in a sixth Die Hard film (DIE HARD: Year One maybe?).
Hannibal Lecter
Both Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen have already played the infamous cannibal and Ralph Fiennes appeared in Red Dragon, which featured Hopkins as Lecter. Stanley Tucci played a nasty dentist in A Life Less Ordinary so could easily step up to this role.
Ash Williams
Ash Williams is the man who keeps fighting off hordes of zombies, skeletons and other nasty creatures in The Evil Dead universe. You gotta be tough and you gotta be funny to be this guy.
Dirty Harry
Harry Callahan was the atypical "cop on the edge". Even though Clint Eastwood is now 87 years old, you could still imagine him waving that Magnum around when someone steals his parking space.
Princess Leia
Forget Luke and Han, it's really Princess Leia that saves the day in Star Wars: A New Hope. This is one Star Wars character who should enjoy a kick-ass origin movie.
Axel Foley
The world would have been so different if Sylvester Stallone had actually appeared in Beverly Hills Cop (he was considered). Beverly Hills Cop IV seems to be lost in a production swamp - with Eddie Murphy interested in coming back as the wisecracking cop.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Another beloved Star Wars character just waiting for a reboot - although Ewan McGregor would be brilliant in the role again. Everyone wants to see the famed Jedi Knight show off his powers in the Clone Wars (beyond the animated film/series).
Sarah Connor
Sarah Connor is one of the toughest female characters to have ever emerged on the screen; Linda Hamilton was perfectly cast for the part. Lena Headey played the role in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and fellow Game of Thrones alumni Emilia Clarke played the role in Terminator Genisys.
Wolverine
It's difficult to imagine anyone but Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine. Jackman has played the role nine times and would be an incredibly hard act to follow.
Ethan Hunt
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Eventually, Cruise will have to hand in his IMF badge and let someone else fall out of planes.
Scarlett O'Hara
Vivien Leigh was ideal as Scarlett O'Hara in 1939's Gone With the Wind. A reboot of this film could be set during the American Civil War or brought to a modern-day setting.
Dorothy Gale
Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis made a fine pair of witches in Oz the Great and Powerful, but who could play Dorothy Gale if a direct remake of The Wizard of Oz was made?
Blade
Wesley Snipes would undoubtedly love to play the vampire-hunting Blade again. But the star is only a handful of years away from being 60 and may have to contemplate handing his fangs over to someone else.
Bridget Jones
Renée Zellweger has been the perfect Bridget Jones in three movies so far. Could a rebooted Bridget come from a completely different background?
Dracula
Many famous names have played Dracula: Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Gary Oldman - it's definitely a role an actor likes to get his teeth into!
Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson
Jinx (played by Halle Berry) was the NSA agent who helped out James Bond in the 2002 movie Die Another Day. A spin-off film featuring Jinx as the main character was cancelled shortly afterwards.
Marty McFly
It would be wonderful to see Michael J. Fox play this iconic role again. There are other options should Fox choose not to appear in any Back to the Future reboot.
Willy Wonka
Johnny Depp had a good go at being the world-famous chocolate magnate, but who can forget the incredible performance by Gene Wilder in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
Holly Golightly
Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of those films just crying out for a 21st century update. There's no denying it is a classic, but it would be interesting to see another actress tackle such a memorable role.
Man With No Name
Also known as "Blondie"! Clint Eastwood shot everyone to shreds in the classic Dollars Trilogy. Perhaps the Man With No Name could introduce the world to the Man With No Name, Jr?
Norman Bates
Anthony Perkins was terrifying as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and he appeared in a number of sequels. Vince Vaughn took up the reins for the 1998 version.
Hermione Granger
Harry Potter may be the name found on the famous wizard movies, but we all know who the real star was. Would Emma Watson be tempted into bringing Hermione back to the big screen again?
Neo
Neo was the all-action star of The Matrix and its sequels, ably portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Keanu could reprise the role and show us what Neo has been doing all these years - but as he resides in a computer matrix it would be easy to explain away a change in appearance.
John Rambo
There's all sorts of business going on with this character's future. Tiger Shroff has been linked with a current Bollywood remake and there are reports of a possible reboot without Stallone involved.
Katniss Everdeen
It seems like only yesterday that Jennifer Lawrence was gearing up as Katniss Everdeen (the last Hunger Games movie came out in 2015). Lawrence could play a slightly older version of the same character - or the series can be rebooted.
Crocodile Dundee
Crocodile Dundee was massive in the 1980s and the recent Super Bowl commercial for Tourism Australia proves there is still plenty of interest in this legend of the Outback.
Rhett Butler
Gone With the Wind featured many great characters, and Clark Gable's Rhett Butler was one of them. There are quite a few actors around at the moment who could make a worthy attempt at replicating Gable's famed performance.
Catwoman
Anne Hathaway played Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, and Michelle Pfeiffer was fantastic in the role for 1992's Batman Returns. Would Halle Berry want another shot at the role after her 2004 misfire in Catwoman?
Beetlejuice
It's a tragedy that this amazing character has not been in a film since 1988. There have been animated series, video games, a musical and even theme park attractions, but still no sequel or reboot!
Mr. Miyagi
Karate Kid might be about Daniel LaRusso, but it would have been nothing without Mr. Miyagi. The 2010 remake featured Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. The martial arts mentor could easily be female in a reboot.
HAL 9000
HAL 9000 was the crazy sentient computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, originally voiced by Douglas Rain. This part would require an actor who can deliver a convincing vocal performance.
Conan
The infamous barbarian already had a reboot in 2011 with Jason Momoa as the famous warrior - but it flopped big time. Would Momoa want another crack at it or will we finally see big Arnold in The Legend of Conan?
Clarice Starling
Clarice Starling was the poor FBI student/agent who had to keep chasing Hannibal Lecter around. Jodie Foster and then Julianne Moore played the resourceful Starling; a reboot could feature a whole new storyline for her.
Morpheus
An integral character to The Matrix movies, Morpheus taught Neo everything he needed to know. Laurence Fishburne was perfect in the role - so cool that his shades didn't even need arms on the frame!
Annie Wilkes
Annie Wilkes was the "number one fan" from the film Misery. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her role as an unhinged serial killer who is adept at breaking ankles with a sledgehammer. This is a potentially great role for a talented actress.
Zorro
Dozens of Zorro films have been made since the character was created (1919). Antonio Banderas was superb as Don Alejandro de la Vega, and it is about time the masked swashbuckler swashed his buckle again.
