Stick 2 The Script: 10 Cast Changes That Ruined Movie Sequels [PHOTOS]

Before today, the idea of there being an Independence Day sequel sans Will Smith was utterly ridiculous. Our sentiments remain the same now that we know such will be the case when a second installment releases July 2015.

This isn’t to say that director Roland Emmerich is cooking up a double flopper with cheese. Independence Day 2 could very well be high quality, but history shows that major cast changes can mark the end of any future for your film franchise.

With that in mind, consider this list to be a walk down memory lane and a precautionary tale for those on the brink of making such drastic changes. Each of the movies featured saw their blockbuster dreams deflate like a true fiend’s weight the moment new actors took on classic roles. That’s too bad, because a lot of these films had much promise.

Here’s to hoping Independence Day 2 won’t end up in the same boat. Check out the list below.

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Photo: Borys Kit

The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift

We applaud director Justin Lin’s brave decision to try out an entirely new cast. Unfortunately, viewers didn’t.

XXX: State Of The Union

Ice Cube can be called many things. However, an action movie star isn’t one of them.

Teen Wolf Too

Michael J. Fox was the man in the 80s. Jason Bateman was not (though he is now). This screenplay could have stayed on the shelf.

Speed 2: Cruise Control

Keanu Reeves isn’t the best actor in Hollywood, but he managed to make Speed a blockbuster hit. Then came this dismal follow-up.

The Next Karate Kid

Hilary Swank may have been the star pupil in Million Dollar Baby, but she was no Danielson by any means.

Evan Almighty

The franchise that Jim Carrey propelled to success could have stayed a single film. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Grease 2

Who thought Grease without Sandy Olsson and Danny Zucco would be OK? Then again, hindsight is always 20/20.

Ocean’s Thirteen

The whole gang returned for a third time, but by then the story had been fully exhausted and Al Pacino seemed like a forced choice as the antagonist.

Batman Forever and Batman & Robin 

Somehow, movie goers saw two horrible Batman selections back to back. Thankfully, Christopher Nolan would get it right and stick to the same principle character years later.

Blues Brothers 2000

It was criminal to even attempt to revive this film series post-John Belushi. The results said the same.