Landing roles in major movie franchises can set up an actor for future success, both within and outside of it. However, these roles don’t always work out. Whether it’s creative differences, scheduling conflicts, contract disputes, or something else, an actor can part early with a movie franchise. Keep reading to learn about six stars who walked away from major movie franchises and why.
6. Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws
Starting our list of actors leaving movie franchises is Richard Dreyfuss. Appearing as Hooper in Jaws, the actor turned down the offer to reprise his role in Jaws 2. The reason? Steven Spielberg wasn’t returning as director. Along with disagreements with producer David Brown and missing bonuses, Dreyfuss decided to leave his role for other films.
5. Macauley Culkin from Home Alone
One of the most prominent movie franchises streamed during Christmas time is Home Alone. At the center was Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, but the young star left after two successful films. Culkin quit not only the franchise but the acting world before the third installment. This was partially due to scheduling conflicts but mainly surrounded Culkin’s struggles as a teenager with his family. After struggling for years, Culkin has made a life for himself with his marriage to Brenda Song and two children.
4. Robert Duvall from The Godfather
Robert Duvall appeared in the first two films of one of the biggest movie franchises in history, The Godfather. However, he declined the third film over a salary dispute. Duvall was offered nearly a third to a quarter of what Al Pacino received, which was too much of a difference between the two actors. This meant that Duvall’s character was killed off-screen before the start of the third film, and replaced by George Hamilton’s character B.J. Harrison.
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3. Neve Campbell from Scream
Rounding out our top three actors who left major movie franchises is Neve Campbell from Scream. Campbell played Sidney Prescott in five Scream films but declined the sixth due to salary differences. After appearing in five films, Campbell felt her salary offer should have been more with what she brought to the franchise. However, we may see her return to Scream 7 as many rumors continue to circulate.
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2. Matt Damon from Jason Bourne
Jason Bourne is one of those unforgettable movie franchises starring Matt Damon as Bourne. However, Damon left the Bourne franchise when director Paul Greengrass chose not to direct the fourth installment. Instead, Jeremy Renner became the lead. But, a few years later Damon and Greengrass reconnected to film Jason Bourne, feeling a duty and responsibility to the fans to revisit the character once more.
1. Michael Keaton from Batman
Last but not least, on our list of actors leaving major movie franchises is Michael Keaton from Batman. While Keaton’s performance as the iconic superhero in Tim Burton’s renditions has become a cult classic, he stepped away from the franchise after just two films. This was mainly due to the directorial switch between Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, who wanted to take the series in a different direction.
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