Casting can make or break a movie before any filming even takes place. An actor might be talented, famous, and perfectly capable of carrying a film, yet still feel completely wrong for a particular character. Sometimes the problem is a mismatch in age or appearance, while other choices simply bring an energy that clashes with everything around them. That does not necessarily mean the performance is bad, there’s a reason casting is an art on its own. Over the years, viewers have pointed to plenty of casting decisions that left them wondering what the filmmakers saw in the role, especially when the rest of the movie worked perfectly well.
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in Jack Reacher (2012)
Cruise brought his usual action presence to the role, but longtime readers of Lee Child’s books expected Reacher to be a much larger physical presence.
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Eisenberg played Luthor as an eccentric, hyperactive tech billionaire, a choice that made the character feel very different from the calculating villain many viewers expected.
Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Reeves’ performance became one of the most frequently criticized parts of the movie, particularly because of his attempt at an English accent.
