When franchises go on for decades straight, installment after installment, it’s something of a miracle if film four or five can have the same ensemble as film one. It’s like with Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, where it was filmed over the course of a dozen years and, had one of its primary actors left us, it would have all been for not. Fortunately, franchises aren’t like Boyhood, they can go on without one or even a few of its primary players. Those are the type of upcoming franchise installments we’re looking at today, those that exist even without one or more of its key actors. Specifically, we’re looking at actors who were fired from a franchise, sat an installment out and were recast (perhaps for good), or have retired.
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In other words, we left off those who have passed away. For instance, those who have left us since Toy Story 4 include Combat Carl’s Carl Weathers (now voiced by Ernie Hudson), Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head will now be played by Jeff Bergman), and Estelle Harris, whose Mrs. Potato Head will now be voiced by Anna Vocino.
7) The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — Seth Rogen (As Well As Fred Armisen & Sebastian Maniscalco
In the sure to be box office juggernaut The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the vast majority of the primary cast is returning. Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, they’re all coming back.
That said, Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen’s Cranky Kong, and Sebastian Maniscalco’s Foreman Spike are all expected to sit this one out. Perhaps they’ll return if the third movie comes back down to Earth.
6) The Devil Wears Prada 2 — Adrian Grenier
On one hand, it makes sense that Adrian Grenier’s (Entourage) Nate Cooper is not returning for The Devil Wears Prada 2. He was a bigger part of the first half of the original film than he was the second. His primary purpose in film one was to break up with Anne Hathaway’s Andy for losing herself in her work.
However, it’s not like Nate would have had no business in the sequel. By the end of The Devil Wears Prada, he and Andy run into each other in New York again where he reveals he’s gotten a dream gig as a sous-chef in Boston. She’s going to stay in New York, but it’s not as if Massachusetts is all the way across the country. There’s no fiery reason Grenier isn’t coming back, those behind the sequel just felt his story had wrapped up.
5) Toy Story 5 — Timothy Dalton (& Madeleine McGraw)
As mentioned in the intro, we’ve lost several of the iconic toys‘ voice actors between Toy Story 4 and the upcoming Toy Story 5. But, unlike Rickles, Harris, and Weathers, there are two who are alive, well, and sitting this one out. Little Bonnie Anderson was basically the same age in Toy Story 4 that she was in Toy Story 3 and that hasn’t changed much between the fourth and fifth movies. In the fourth she was five and now, she’s eight. Madeleine McGraw was 10 when Toy Story 4 came out and 17 now, so it’s safe to say she aged out of being able to convincingly voice an eight-year-old.
As for Timothy Dalton, it’s not clear why he’s not coming back to voice Mr. Pricklepants. He voiced the character in Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation (2011), Small Fry (2011), Partysaurus Rex (2012), Toy Story of Terror (2013), Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014), and Toy Story 4 (2019). That’s a long tenure to be voicing a character, yet he didn’t return in Forky Asks a Question, which released the same year as Toy Story 4 nor is he coming back this time around. It’s odd, considering Dalton has not officially announced his retirement and appeared in 1923 as recently as 2025.
4) Scary Movie 6 — Shannon Elizabeth (& Much of Scary Movie 2‘s Cast)
Considering the third, fourth, and fifth movies didn’t come from the Wayans, it’s obvious that Charlie Sheen and the like aren’t coming back for Scary Movie 6 (though Anthony Anderson is). However, there are still a few from Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2 who are apparently also not going to be a part of this return to form.
Franchise mainstays Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back, as are the first two films’ Marlon and Shawn Wayan. Furthermore, the first movie’s Jon Abrahams, Lochlyn Munro, Dave Sheridan, and Cheri Oteri are back. As for Scary Movie 2‘s cast, it seems only Chris Elliott is returning. So, who does that leave out? Considering it’s bringing back the first movie’s cast over the second, Shannon Elizabeth’s absence sticks out like an especially sore thumb.
3) Avengers: Doomsday — Evangeline Lilly (& Kathryn Newton)
Paul Rudd is going to be part of Avengers: Doomsday‘s mighty ensemble, but it looks to be something of a solo adventure for him. There’s a chance that Kathyn Newton’s Cassie Lang pops up, but there’s no chance we’ll be seeing Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne.
Lilly announced back in June 2024 that she’s moving on from acting to focus on her family and humanitarian work. On top of that, Lilly suffered a major injury towards the end of May 2025 when she fell into a boulder, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. She may end up in another movie someday, but it honestly doesn’t seem but so likely. She’s happy away from the spotlight and recovering from the injury, and that’s what is most important. It will be interesting to see how Doomsday explains her absence. One figures it will be something along the lines of how Tony Stark and Thor explained the absences of Pepper Potts and Jane Foster, respectively.
2) Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — Amy Sedaris (& Others)
Right now, the cast of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu consists of Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, and, well, Grogu. Naturally, one can assume there will be a few other familiar faces from the show popping up, as well.
Even still, as of now there’s no word on surviving characters Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr), Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), or Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) returning. Obviously, Gina Carano won’t return as Cara Dune and, as mentioned in the intro, we’ve lost Carl Weathers, but if we don’t get at least one scene with Sedaris that will be a great shame.
1) Scream 7 — Melissa Barrera (& Jenna Ortega)
When Radio Silence soft rebooted Scream in 2022 it was to great effect. It was a sublime mixture of legends and new blood (as well as, you know, blood blood). The focus on the Carpenter sisters represented a fresh new path, and the chemistry between Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega was integral in making that new path work. And, the thing is, both Barrera and Ortega were only contracted for two films. Scream VI even ends both Sam and Tara’s arcs on a satisfying and logical note.
But the fact that there was a big show of Barrera being fired from the franchise raises questions of whether those contracts were intended to be renewed. Either way, she made pro-Palestine social media posts and was very controversially let go and, shortly after, Ortega left. Initially this was made out to be a scheduling conflict with Wednesday Season 2, but it was really because the initial form of Scream 7 was falling apart and, while she’s never come outright and said it, there almost certainly was a solidarity factor working there.
Which of these actors do you really wish was returning to their franchise? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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