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Not everyone wants a sequel! Join us as we examine the most notorious cases of actors turning down reprising their iconic roles. From contract disputes and creative differences to personal reasons and scheduling conflicts, these stars chose to walk away from franchises that helped make them famous. Which rejection surprised you the most?
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00:00We talk a lot about the Sam character and where she is in the pilot episode.
00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're examining the most infamous times actors rejected the chance to reprise their role in a sequel, reboot, or revival in films and TV shows due to one reason or another.
00:16Because of my lawsuit, there are rules in the Screen Actors Guild that make it so producers can never do something like that again.
00:24Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Fuller House.
00:27We're going to retrace every single step you took today. You got it?
00:31You got it, dude.
00:32All right.
00:33As nine-month-olds, Mary-Kate and Ashley were cast in Full House as Michelle Tanner.
00:38The casting springboarded the duo into Hollywood films, but a lot had changed by the time the sitcom was revived in 2016 as Fuller House.
00:47Mary-Kate and Ashley had been away from acting for years.
00:50Instead, they'd been focusing on other work, such as running a fashion empire.
00:54As a result, they chose not to reprise their role of Michelle.
00:59However, that didn't stop the creators from approaching their sister Elizabeth, who also rejected it.
01:08It later emerged that Fuller House actor and producer John Stamos had offered the work via their agent rather than speaking to Mary-Kate and Ashley personally,
01:20which didn't help persuade them to return.
01:23Now, where's my little sis?
01:25Well, Michelle sends her love, but she's busy in New York running her fashion empire.
01:30Chad Michael Murray, Gilmore Girls, A Year in the Life
01:41You will not push me again.
01:42Are you seriously trying to act tough?
01:44You're wearing a tie, for God's sake.
01:46Outside, now.
01:47I'm not fighting you.
01:48It'd be like fighting an accountant.
01:49I'll call you when I need my taxes done.
01:51In the first two seasons of Gilmore Girls, Rory found herself in a love triangle, as Dean and Tristan, who also had eyes for Paris, fought for her attention.
02:01While the latter would eventually be written out, which allowed Murray to pursue other roles in One Tree Hill and Others,
02:07fans were wondering if he'd return for the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life.
02:12And he did.
02:14Kinda.
02:14Tristan appeared briefly and caused a load of drama, but he wasn't portrayed by Murray, but by Anton Narinsky.
02:30At the time of filming, while Murray was excited about possibly returning for something challenging as Tristan, he wasn't available due to expecting his first child.
02:38It was always fun for me to be on set and for us to have these scenes where we absolutely despise each other, but yet behind closed doors, you know, on the offset, like, we're just palling around and two big, goofy kids, you know?
02:52Alan Cumming.
02:53X- The Last Stand.
03:01Primitor Breach at visitor's checkpoint.
03:02When people think of highlights for Fox's original X-Men film trilogy, Nightcrawler in 2003's X2, bamfing through the White House with his devilish appearance, is one of the best.
03:14However, it wasn't fun for the actor coming.
03:18On top of the drama with director Bryan Singer behind the scenes, the Scottish performer hated the makeup.
03:24Each of the detailed tattoos was handmade, causing the process to last four hours each day of shooting.
03:30With that in mind, Cumming really didn't want to return for 2006's X-Men The Last Stand, which he wasn't shy about.
03:48Yet regardless, if the studio wanted him back, Cumming was contractually obligated to do so.
03:54Thankfully for him, Nightcrawler was written out of the trilogy.
03:57I, uh, no, that's true, I didn't want to do it again, but they had an option on me, it wasn't my choice.
04:03I, they just didn't pick up the option for it, so it's not, it wasn't my choice not to be in it again.
04:08Oh, okay.
04:09But I didn't want to.
04:10You didn't want to, yeah.
04:10Because it was such a hideous experience, yeah.
04:12Katie Holmes, The Dark Knight.
04:15Ah!
04:15Falcone sent them to kill you.
04:25Why?
04:26He rattled his cage.
04:28With the Caped Crusader's big film return with 2005's Batman Begins, Holmes was cast as his childhood friend and love interest, Rachel Dawes.
04:37Yet by the 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight, Rachel looked vastly different as Maggie Gyllenhaal took on the role.
04:44Well, you look nervous.
04:46Is it the scars?
04:49You want to know how I got them?
04:51As development began on the sequel, Holmes was forced to reject the chance to go into Gotham City once again.
04:58Instead, she'd already signed on to be in the 2008 crime comedy film Mad Money, making it impossible for her to be in both.
05:07Sadly, this decision didn't turn out great, as Mad Money was both a box office flop and resulted in Holmes' performance being criticized.
05:16We each give her one, that leaves a thousand, which is $333 each.
05:20There's going to be a dollar left over.
05:22I might have change.
05:25Keep the change.
05:26Ah!
05:30Crispin Glover, Back to the Future Part 2.
05:35What?
05:37You're George McFly.
05:38Yeah, who are you?
05:40Say, what do you let those boys push you around like that for?
05:43Well, they're bigger than me.
05:44Following his work as George McFly in 1985's Back to the Future, Glover should have been enjoying the experience.
05:52Instead, he was anything but.
05:54He'd already fallen out with the filmmakers after criticizing the ending, believing the McFly's financial reward was a bad message.
06:02What I was arguing for was that the characters should be in love and that the love should be the reward.
06:09And Zemeckis got really mad at me when I said this.
06:12Did he yell at you?
06:15Yeah, he yelled.
06:16Then when negotiating to return for 1989's Back to the Future Part 2, Glover walked away from the role after getting less money than he expected.
06:26So instead, George was recast with Jeffrey Weissman with prosthetics being used to make him look like Glover.
06:32This caused the actor to sue the producers for using his likeness without his permission.
06:38The case was settled out of court, but is seen as a milestone moment for actors protecting their rights.
06:43What happened to Grandpa?
06:44Oh, he threw his back out again.
06:46How's Granddad's little pumpkin?
06:49How did you do that? How did he do that?
06:50Oh, out on the golf course.
06:52Are you folks home yet?
06:54I brought pizza for everyone.
06:55Oh, who's gonna eat all that?
06:57Oh, I will.
06:57David Hyde Pierce, Frasier
07:00Arguably, Pierce was a standout star during the original run of Frasier as Niles, earning the actor four Emmys and being nominated for one every year the show was on air.
07:26So when Frasier was being revived in 2023, attention turned to Pierce to step back into Niles' overly cared-for shoes.
07:35However, he turned it down.
07:38No!
07:38Oh, wait a minute. Come to think of it, yeah, it was a peach tree.
07:42No!
07:43It was fig. Oh, you're good.
07:46As the actor confirmed later, while he loved his time in the character, he didn't want to repeat his work.
07:54Instead, Pierce wanted to pursue other projects, which consisted of a lot of theater roles.
08:00He also humbly stated that Frasier didn't need him and the cast both old and new were doing great.
08:06However, Pierce hasn't ruled out a return in the future.
08:09Neve Campbell, Scream 6
08:25After donning the role of Sidney in 1996's Scream, Campbell morphed into one of the slasher genre's Scream Queens.
08:43With that crown, she reprised the role in every single edition in the franchise, including 2022's Scream.
08:50Yet, when it came to 2023's Scream 6, everything changed after she'd spent 26 years in the franchise.
08:58Campbell felt that the salary offered was far below what she was worth.
09:02Understandably feeling undervalued, she walked away from the role, and Sidney was written out of the plot.
09:20This decision caused several cast members to publicly support Campbell's decision.
09:30Thankfully, Paramount managed to get its act together, and offered a financial package to Campbell that persuaded her to sign on for 2026's Scream 7.
09:39Robin Williams
09:43Aladdin, The Return of Jafar
09:46For many, no one will top Williams' voice work as the Genie in 1992's Aladdin.
10:04His singing and incredible comedic timing made that film legendary for a lot of children and adults.
10:11However, sadly, Disney tarnished that.
10:14Williams had an agreement with them that for a reduced fee, the company couldn't use him or his character for marketing,
10:20and their appearances and advertisements had to be limited.
10:24Instead, Disney ignored that, putting Williams' work in toys in jeopardy, as the film was released shortly after Aladdin.
10:31The actor refused to reprise his role for Aladdin, The Return of Jafar, which instead went to Dan Castellaneta.
10:38Seriously?
10:39I love it!
10:42Okay, maybe my powers aren't what they used to be.
10:45It took a public apology by Disney to bring Williams back for 1996's Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
10:51There's a party here in Agrabah. There's excitement in the air.
10:57People pouring in from every part.
10:59The Jasmine and Aladdin are trying to have a win.
11:02There's a party here in Agrabah.
11:04Jeanette McCurdy, iCarly.
11:06It's my birthday!
11:08Till next time!
11:09Get plenty of sleep, eat lots of dirt, and scream at the sky.
11:12As the best friend of the titular character, Sam was a massive part of iCarly during its original run.
11:20Yet while McCurdy captured viewers' hearts with her comedy work, she was having a horrible time behind the scenes.
11:26She was pressured by her mother to financially support her family through acting work, all while she abused McCurdy.
11:33But inside I was hurting. It was painful. I was angry. I felt unsupported.
11:38You pull back the curtain on child stardom. It is not a pretty picture.
11:43Not as I see it, no.
11:44With that massive smear across her work making her embarrassed by it, McCurdy walked away from the acting industry in 2018 and focused on other endeavors, such as writing and podcasts, as she put her mental health first.
11:57With iCarly being revived in 2021, McCurdy turned down the possibility of being Sam again.
12:04While Miranda Cosgrove stated she'd have loved McCurdy's Sam back, she supported her decision.
12:09The character Carly very much still loves Sam and always will.
12:15And we all really wanted Jeanette to be a part of the show in real life, but she's just doing other things and we're really happy for her.
12:21Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:25Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone 3
12:28Wanting a normal life, Culkin retired from acting for years.
12:32A reservation for yourself.
12:35Ma'am, my feet are hardly touched on the ground. I'm barely able to look over this counter.
12:39How can I make a reservation for a hotel room? Think about it.
12:43Zachary Quinto, Heroes Reborn
12:45After being the biggest bat in Heroes, Quinto rejected Revival Return to do other work.
12:51I know I repulse you.
12:55Terrify you.
12:57You see me as a monster.
12:59And yet, you did this to me.
13:04Lauren Conrad, The Hill's New Beginnings
13:06In a different place in her life with a family, Conrad didn't want to return for sequel series.
13:12And I told you, no, no, no, no, no. Someone made this up and told you. It's sad that you don't believe me.
13:19How would you feel if someone told you this and they go into detail? What am I supposed to do? I'm so, like, insulted and hurt at the same time.
13:26Keanu Reeves, Speed 2 Cruise Control
13:29Put off by the sequel's script, Reeves rejected Return as Jack.
13:36You okay? Yeah. You okay? I'm okay. I'm okay.
13:42Natalie Portman, Thor Ragnarok
13:44Reportedly frustrated by Patty Jenkins' departure, Portman skipped the sequel.
13:49We had a stable gravitational anomaly. We had unimpeded access. Our only competition was 10 years old.
13:56Jane, you were gone for five hours.
13:58What?
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14:13Kim Cattrall, and just like that...
14:18I think you have a big problem with intimacy.
14:20No, that's not it.
14:21Then what is it?
14:22It's nothing.
14:23Nothing. Forget about it.
14:24Sweetheart, there's nothing you can say that can hurt me as long as it's what you're feeling.
14:27That seems to be all the time we have for today.
14:30Nice work, you two.
14:32Cattrall's work as the confident and free-loving Samantha in Sex and the City
14:36turned the character into a fan-favorite as the series became iconic.
14:40This led to two films continuing the franchise.
14:44Yet when a third was in the works, Cattrall hated the plot involving Samantha getting explicit images
14:49from Miranda's teenage son and Mr. Big's death, so she turned it down.
14:54This sparked a feud between her and Sarah Jessica Parker, causing the two to publicly trade barbs.
15:00When was the last time you spoke to any of the other three?
15:04It must have been at some event. I don't even remember.
15:08Years ago?
15:09Gotta be.
15:10And that's another thing that's really disappointing,
15:15is that nobody ever picks up the phone and tries to contact you and you say,
15:19how are you doing?
15:20You know, that would have been the way to handle it.
15:24This third film was reworked into the series and just like that in 2021,
15:28yet Cattrall wasn't asked to be a series regular.
15:32Instead, after finding out about it online,
15:34she made a one-off appearance as Samantha's absence was explained in the story.
15:39I won't be able to make it there in time.
15:42In time for what?
15:44The Last Supper?
15:45Miranda and Charlotte told me all about it.
15:48I was gonna surprise you.
15:50Oh my gosh, well you did.
15:51I'm very surprised.
15:53What other actor who rejected the chance to be in a sequel or reboot did we miss?
15:57Let us know below.
15:58Let us know below.
15:58Let us know below.
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