Movie casting directors are kind of like defensive players in pro sports — nobody notices them when they’re doing their job well, but when they make a mistake, everybody knows it. A bad casting decision can completely ruin what would otherwise have been a good movie, and studios sometimes take inexplicable gambles when it comes to their actors and actresses. Considering the amount of money at stake, casting blunders defy logic. Here are 10 recent examples of movies with bad casting decisions that had a detrimental effect on the finished product.
5. Shia LaBoeuf in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Fans of this franchise found lots to hate about the unfortunate 2008 chapter. Shia LaBoeuf’s appearance in the film in the character of Indy’s son was one of them.
Though LaBoeuf was relegated to a relatively minor role in the movie, there had been a lot of speculation that he was going to inherit the reins of the franchise from the aging Harrison Ford and become the next-generation Indiana Jones. While co-producer George Lucas eventually denied those rumors, the story induced panic among Indiana Jones devotees while it made its rounds.
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