Movie Stars Replaced After a Scandal—And How the Studios Saved the Film

When scandal hits a leading actor, studios face an immediate triage problem: finish the project without blowing the budget, missing release windows, or confusing audiences. The fixes are rarely one-size-fits-all. Sometimes it’s a complete reshoot with a new performer; other times it’s surgical visual-effects work, ADR, and marketing pivots designed to keep the story intact and the schedule on track.

Below are major cases where productions swapped out a star midstream and still brought the finished work to audiences. For each, you’ll find what triggered the change, who stepped in, and the practical steps—reshoots, VFX, scheduling, and promotion—that kept everything moving.

‘All the Money in the World’ (2017)

Ridley Scott and the studio removed Kevin Spacey’s scenes as J. Paul Getty after misconduct allegations and recast the role with Christopher Plummer. Principal cast members were recalled, and all Getty material was reshot in a compressed window, replacing heavily prosthetic make-up work with a different physical interpretation.

Editorial and VFX teams then replaced Spacey’s presence across marketing assets and completed shots, performing clean-plate comps, rotoscoping, and color-matching to blend the new footage seamlessly. The release date held, awards screeners went out on time, and Plummer’s work received significant industry recognition.

‘Army of the Dead’ (2021)

After accusations against Chris D’Elia, the production recast the helicopter pilot with Tig Notaro. Because ensemble scenes were already in the can, Notaro shot her material on controlled sets against greenscreen, matching lens choices, lighting ratios, and blocking to existing plates.

Post-production rebuilt numerous shots: technicians performed precise roto, relit elements, added interactive shadows, and re-timed eyelines to integrate the new character. Dialogue was re-recorded to align with the revised performance, marketing materials were updated, and the film debuted on schedule in streaming and select theaters.

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ (2022)

Warner Bros. asked Johnny Depp to step away from the Gellert Grindelwald role and brought in Mads Mikkelsen. The production paused to conduct hair, make-up, wardrobe, and camera tests that established a revised look and physicality, allowing the character to continue without narrative re-explanation.

Scheduling adjustments moved certain set-pieces later so the new actor could rehearse wand choreography and staging. Licensing, posters, and trailers were rebuilt to introduce the new portrayal, tie-in products were corrected for likeness approvals, and the global rollout proceeded with coordinated messaging.

‘Shotgun Wedding’ (2022)

Amid public controversy, Armie Hammer exited the project during pre-production, and producers quickly replaced him with Josh Duhamel. Contracts, insurance, and bonding paperwork were re-issued, and costume fittings, chemistry reads, and stunt evaluations were fast-tracked so location holds in the Dominican Republic would not lapse.

Call sheets and day-out-of-days were reflowed to keep department labor within budget. The distribution plan ultimately centered on a streaming premiere via Prime Video, with artwork and trailers reflecting the updated cast and no interruption to the film’s promotional cadence.

‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022)

Shia LaBeouf departed early and was later the subject of widely reported legal allegations; the production recast the male lead with Harry Styles. The crew revised blocking to accommodate a new performance approach, re-scouted a handful of interiors for coverage that favored the updated dynamic, and adjusted intimacy-coordination plans accordingly.

Editorial locked a teaser that repositioned the central couple while sound finished ADR to ensure continuity with the new lead. Publicity leaned on set photography of the replacement cast, and print and digital one-sheets were rebuilt before the first full trailer campaign.

‘Housefull 4’ (2019)

Following harassment allegations against Nana Patekar, the production replaced him with Rana Daggubati. The switch required fresh costume builds, dialect preparation, and re-staging of ensemble scenes to maintain continuity with footage already captured.

At the same time, a separate misconduct controversy prompted a directing change, and the unit reorganized the schedule to minimize downtime. Marketing refreshed character posters and trailers with the updated cast, and the film’s holiday release corridor was kept intact.

‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ (2019)

After Louis C.K. admitted to misconduct and did not return as the voice of Max, the studio cast Patton Oswalt. Voice-direction teams built reference libraries of phonemes and cadence markers so new sessions would align with established timing, and animation retimed mouth flaps and re-exposed frames where needed.

Teasers and trailers were re-cut with the updated vocal performance, consumer-products style guides were revised for approvals, and the promotional tour emphasized new story elements rather than the casting change. The sequel arrived with continuity in character design and tone despite the lead-voice replacement.

‘The Hangover Part II’ (2011)

Controversy around Mel Gibson led the production to replace his planned cameo with Liam Neeson, and a later reshoot—due to continuity and availability—ultimately swapped in Nick Cassavetes. The cameo sequence was restaged to match editorial needs, with hair, make-up, and set dressing duplicated to preserve scene geography.

The production then conformed the revised material into the locked cut, updated cue sheets, and rebuilt end credits. Publicity focused on the core ensemble, and the cameo change was kept peripheral to the marketing so the film’s release plan stayed on track.

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ (TBA)

Blake Jenner exited the long-term production following domestic-abuse allegations, and Paul Mescal assumed the lead role. Because the film is being shot over many years to capture characters aging in reverse chronology, the team rescheduled early-timeline sequences and reshot material already captured with the original actor.

Production documentation—camera reports, lighting diagrams, wardrobe continuity, and sound logs—was reused to match composition, exposure, wardrobe, and tone. The replacement allowed the multi-year schedule to continue without abandoning the project’s unusual filming approach.

Share your picks—what other movies pulled off a midstream recast and still landed the release—down in the comments.