They signed the contract, so... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those cases in which stars were contractually obligated to act in films.
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00:00 "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you cannot eat our only suspect."
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for cases in which stars were
00:11 contractually obligated to act in films, regardless of whether it was before or after they had agreed
00:20 to do the movie. We will also be considering those who were forced into a film to make up
00:25 for a past breach of contract. 20. Bruce Willis - Armageddon
00:30 "So what's the verdict?" "They'll do it.
00:32 They've made a few requests though." Do you remember the 1997 sports rom-com
00:38 Broadway Brawler starring Bruce Willis and Maura Tierney? No? Well, you know why you don't? Because
00:44 the movie never got made. Besides starring in the film, Willis was also a producer, and just three
00:49 weeks into shooting, he demanded much of the crew be fired, including the director. This led the
00:55 Walt Disney Company to shut it all down. While they could have sued Willis, they instead agreed
00:59 to a deal in which he would make three movies for the company at a reduced rate, the first of which
01:05 was Armageddon. Willis was paid just $3 million for the movie, as opposed to his going rate at
01:11 the time, which was $20 million. "It's not a choice, it's a lack of options."
01:16 19. Pierce Brosnan - Remington Steel "Have we met before?"
01:20 "I don't think so." "Odd. You look vaguely familiar."
01:23 Pierce Brosnan became a star thanks to the '80s television show Remington Steel. It's probably
01:28 thanks to that show that he was cast as James Bond. However, it was also because of that show
01:33 that he didn't become Bond sooner. You see, the action TV series premiered in 1982 and was
01:39 cancelled in 1986, at which point Brosnan was offered the role of Bond in the upcoming film
01:44 The Living Daylights. However, NBC then reversed their cancellation decision and Brosnan was
01:49 contractually obligated to return to the series. Not wanting the character associated with a
01:54 currently airing television series, the film's producers rescinded their offer and gave the
01:59 role to Timothy Dalton. It would be eight years before Brosnan finally became Bond.
02:05 "James Bond." 18. Winona Ryder - Boys
02:08 "Bud Valentine? You know there's a pitcher named Bud Valentine. He pitches for Pittsburgh."
02:15 "That's him." The film Boys, starring Winona Ryder and
02:18 Lucas Haas, was both a critical and commercial failure back in 1996. And this probably didn't
02:25 come as much of a shock to those who made it. Director Stacey Cochran has stated that she and
02:30 the studio had a falling out, and there was an extensive involuntary editing process that ruined
02:36 the movie. As for Ryder, in his biography of the actress, Nigel Goodall makes it clear that last
02:41 minute changes to the script had her regretting what she'd gotten herself into. But the contract
02:46 was signed, and she wasn't getting out of it even though she would have liked to.
02:50 "You wouldn't like it. It's over." "Not for long."
02:56 17. Alec Baldwin - Rock of Ages
02:59 "Here's a toast to all of us, who are breaking our backs every day."
03:05 At first, everything was great. Alec Baldwin signed on to be in Rock of Ages,
03:09 excited to work with director Adam Shankman and some of the other stars like Tom Cruise.
03:14 But the honeymoon ended early, as Baldwin admitted in an interview back in 2013.
03:19 "A week in, you go, 'Oh, God, what have I done?'" What he did was try and get out of it. While
03:25 reporting at the time mentioned medical issues for Baldwin's desire to leave the production,
03:29 it would appear that the truth is he just thought the film was going to suck.
03:33 Needless to say, the studio didn't let him out of his deal.
03:37 "I'm not interested, sweetheart, and I need you two to get back to work right now."
03:40 16. Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
03:43 "Remember me? You remember me. I live right down the street, down in the greenhouse. Mr. Harvey."
03:49 Stanley Tucci didn't even try and get out of his contract to star in The Lovely Bones
03:54 because he hated the film. It was because he hated his character.
03:58 Tucci plays George Harvey, a serial killer who targets youths, in the 2009 Peter Jackson movie.
04:04 As he told Entertainment Weekly, it was a tough experience playing such a horrible person.
04:09 He even questioned Jackson as to why he was cast,
04:12 and actively tried to get out of it before they began filming. Not only did he not get
04:17 out of his contract, but he ended up getting an Oscar nomination for his performance.
04:22 "I have to go." "I don't want you to leave."
04:26 15. Val Kilmer - Top Gun
04:28 "You are still dangerous."
04:39 "You can be my wingman anytime."
04:41 That's right, it might sound crazy, but Val Kilmer basically had to be forced to play
04:45 Iceman in Top Gun. Kilmer had already given Paramount two films in their three-movie deal,
04:51 and he, as the math would indicate, owed them one more. Well, it was because of that deal that
04:56 Kilmer even went to meet with the director of the film, Tony Scott. While he still didn't want to do
05:01 it, finding the script silly, Scott, and his contractual obligations, convinced Kilmer to
05:06 be in the film. He didn't need any convincing to reprise his role in the 2022 sequel, Top Gun
05:12 Maverick. Kilmer even openly campaigned for it. "One last thing. Who's the better pilot? You or me?"
05:21 "This is a nice moment. Let's not ruin it."
05:26 14. Brad Pitt - Troy
05:29 "Nervous? Petrified."
05:34 This 2004 Sword & Sandal epic was the eighth highest-grossing film of the year,
05:39 and Brad Pitt did get some positive critical comments regarding his performance. However,
05:44 it wasn't a film that Pitt initially wanted to be in, but the studio sure did want him.
05:49 In this case, the studio had the upper hand. You see, Pitt had pulled out of another film prior to
05:54 that, and as a result, he owed the studio a movie. So, as he told The New York Times in 2019,
06:01 "I was put in Troy." We guess you could say that they found his Achilles heel.
06:06 "You're as fearless as the gods. I'm honored to go to war with you."
06:09 "As am I."
06:12 13. Shia LaBeouf - Transformers Dark of the Moon
06:15 "This was all my fault. I told them whom to trust. I was so wrong."
06:22 It's hard to believe, but Michael Bay actually made one decent Transformers movie. The first
06:27 one, released in 2007, has a not-great-but-not-terrible Rotten Tomatoes score of 57%.
06:33 It also grossed over $700 million. While the second one, Revenge of the Fallen,
06:39 made even more money, it was critically panned, even by its star Shia LaBeouf, who said,
06:44 "I wasn't impressed with what we did." Not wanting to be a part of a declining franchise,
06:48 at least quality-wise, LaBeouf made a real effort to get out before the third movie.
06:53 But there was the little thing of his signature on a contract for three films, so he was stuck.
06:59 He definitely wasn't coming back for number four, though.
07:02 "Sam, that makes me feel bad." "I hope you feel bad. You should feel bad."
07:06 12. Bill Murray - Garfield The Movie
07:09 "You can stop dreaming about me because I'm here. Now just wake up. You've got work to do."
07:17 What actor wouldn't want to work with Joel Coen? As one half of the Coen brothers,
07:22 Joel is one of the great writers/directors of his generation. According to Bill Murray,
07:27 when he saw that Joel had written Garfield The Movie, he jumped at the chance to voice
07:31 the titular cat. The only problem is that Garfield The Movie was co-written by Joel
07:36 Coen, with a "h", not Joel Coen of the Coen brothers. By the time he realized his mistake,
07:43 it was too late to back out. We should point out that the other co-writer of the film,
07:47 Alex Sokolow, has called "bull poo" on Murray's story about the Coen mix-up. Who do you believe?
07:54 "So do you have any regrets?" "Garfield, maybe."
08:00 11. Daniel Craig - Multiple James Bond Movies "I'm the money."
08:05 "Every penny of it." While some actors would surely jump at the chance to be James Bond,
08:12 Daniel Craig was not such an actor. When he was offered the role as the next 007 back in
08:17 2005, it took him a little while, and some convincing, to accept the offer. While he
08:22 garnered much praise, money, and stardom for his portrayal of the master spy, he only did
08:27 five Bond films because he was contractually obligated to do so. His desire to get out of
08:32 the franchise definitely escalated after the disaster that was Quantum of Solace. However,
08:39 according to Craig, "It had started even earlier than that. I've been trying to get out of this
08:44 from the very moment I got into it." "You're not seriously going back there?"
08:47 "I wouldn't dream of it." 10. Jennifer Garner - Elektra
08:54 "I'm not a good person to get involved with." After the critical failure that was Daredevil,
08:59 Ben Affleck lucked out. No sequel for Matt Murdock. Jennifer Garner found herself contractually
09:05 locked into what was, quite frankly, a spin-off movie that nobody wanted - Elektra.
09:11 "Yeah. I hated that." For Ben, it meant a simple cameo, which never even made it into the final
09:18 cut. For Garner, it was a starring role in an arguably even worse film than the one that
09:23 preceded it. The spin-off earned a paltry $56.7 million at the worldwide box office,
09:29 and paired with Daredevil, is widely thought to have permanently damaged Garner's marketability
09:34 as a star, which at the time, had been on the rise. "Don't worry. Death's not that bad."
09:39 9. Edward Norton - The Italian Job "Can't let emotion into these things."
09:44 This undeniably talented actor has gained somewhat of a reputation for being difficult to work with.
09:49 As it turns out, that problem extends beyond his relationship with directors,
09:53 editors, and co-stars, to studio heads as well. Like so many of our entries today,
09:58 it would seem that a younger Edward Norton signed a multi-picture deal that, in hindsight,
10:03 he wasn't so keen to honour. "That wasn't the agreement." It was a contractual dispute that
10:07 lasted a whopping five years, and one which fostered a lot of anger between the two parties,
10:12 who seemingly could not agree on a picture. In the end, Norton was forced to star in The
10:17 Italian Job, or go to court. "This lovely dinner, sparking conversation, you still don't trust me."
10:23 8. Keanu Reeves - The Watcher "Shall we dance?"
10:27 Imagine being told that you were legally obligated to do a film that, as far as you can remember,
10:31 you never committed to. Though there were reports during filming that Reeves was dissatisfied,
10:36 the whole story didn't come out until 12 months after the film's release,
10:40 when Reeves' contractually obligated silence finally came to an end.
10:43 Able to say his piece, he claimed that his signature was forged, but that he couldn't
10:47 prove it. Coming immediately on the tale of mega-hit The Matrix, you can understand why
10:52 being the villain in a film, whose script Keanu allegedly didn't find interesting,
10:57 didn't work for the actor. However, seeking to avoid a legal battle, he reluctantly acquiesced.
11:02 7. Roy Scheider - Jaws 2 "Wait a minute, are you people telling me
11:11 I don't know what a shark looks like?" After the first flick birthed the concept of a summer
11:15 blockbuster, you'd think that every cast member who survived the original Jaws would be desperate
11:19 to jump back in. Not star Roy Scheider, who only returned as Penance for bailing out on another
11:25 film. Let's just say he made the wrong choice. Jaws 2 was a nightmare from pre-production through
11:33 to its completion, with frequent rewrites, production delays, and struggles to find a
11:38 suitable director. Roy Scheider was reportedly very unhappy throughout, but it meant his contract
11:43 with Universal would be complete, and so he stuck it out. "I'm too damn tired."
11:49 The Universal movie he had quit? The critically acclaimed
11:52 Deer Hunter. And in the starring role, no less. "One shot is what it's all about. Deer has to
11:57 be taken with one shot." 6. Channing Tatum - G.I. Joe,
12:01 The Rise of Cobra "Self-preservation. I'm taking you in, Rex."
12:05 For young up-and-coming stars, it can be tempting to sign multiple picture deals. Guaranteed work?
12:10 Why not? But a few years down the line, and you could find yourself forced to play roles you hate
12:15 in films that make you cringe. It's a lesson that Channing Tatum learned the hard way after
12:19 signing a three-film deal with Paramount. "I'm going to make you very unhappy."
12:24 "I'm already unhappy." G.I. Joe might have helped increase his public profile,
12:28 but after the fact, he has been vocal about hating it, and very clear that he only accepted
12:32 the role of Duke under fear of legal action. "Drive it like you stole it."
12:36 5. Emily Blunt - Gulliver's Travels "When do you return home,
12:41 noble and awesome Gulliver?" Talk about missed opportunities. In hindsight,
12:45 Emily Blunt has claimed that she's happy that she didn't wind up in the role of Natasha Romanoff,
12:49 aka Black Widow, given that women in superhero films tend to take the back seat to the male
12:55 leads. Fair criticism. But to think that Gulliver's Travels was the reason that she
12:59 didn't get the part? That's just painful. "It's just that I was talking with a giant
13:04 and lost track of time." "I trust not this beast."
13:06 A Variety reported in 2009, a contract signed with 20th Century Fox back when Blunt played a role in
13:13 The Devil Wears Prada gave them enough leverage to force her participation. And so, Emily Blunt
13:18 missed out on the MCU, and instead got to play the pint-sized Princess Mary.
13:23 "Now you're being cruel, and frankly, melodramatic, and acting like a complete baby."
13:28 4. Mike Myers - The Cat in the Hat "Look at your face, it looks like you saw a monster."
13:33 "A monster? Where?" "Ahhhhh!"
13:38 For those who grew up loving The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss's other colourful stories,
13:42 this movie might have felt like a slap in the face. And though Mike Myers has made some rather
13:47 questionable movie choices over the years, it seems that his participation in this particular
13:51 travesty was not of his own volition. "Why, I'm the Cat in the Hat!"
13:56 When a script bringing his SNL character Dieter to life proved subpar, Myers reportedly backed
14:02 out of the film, and Universal sued. It was ultimately settled out of court, and the details
14:07 are murky, but the consensus is, The Cat in the Hat was the compromise. According to co-star Amy
14:13 Hill, Myers' disdain was rather palpable on set. "Without my hat, I'm just your garden-variety,
14:19 six-foot-tall talking cat!" 3. Geena Davis - Cutthroat Island
14:23 "Bad dog."
14:24 This action-adventure rom-com is widely recognised as one of the biggest box-office flops in
14:32 cinematic history, and the film that took pirate films off the map until Disney took on the genre
14:37 years later. Cutthroat Island would not have involved Geena Davis if she'd had her way.
14:43 When co-star Michael Douglas dropped out of the film, Davis saw the winds changing,
14:47 and tried to jump ship as well. Unfortunately for her, unlike Michael Douglas, her participation
14:52 had already been made legally binding. "Stop fiddling, you'll kill the man!"
14:56 In addition to sinking production company Carolco Pictures, it is also remembered as the film that
15:02 irreparably damaged Geena Davis' career. "Sweetheart, I promised I'd take care of you."
15:07 2. Marlon Brando - Desiree "What exactly do you wish to be?"
15:13 Unlike so many other films on our list today, this 1954 picture by 20th Century Fox was
15:18 reasonably well-received by critics, earning two Academy Award nominations for costume design and
15:23 art direction. The film is far from a masterpiece, and as far as Brando's filmography is concerned,
15:29 it's a little more than a forgettable footnote. Had Brando gotten his way, though, it wouldn't
15:33 have had a place on his resume whatsoever. "I must go now. Say goodbye to my family.
15:37 I'm leaving for Paris in the morning." However, after signing on to play in The
15:40 Egyptian from 20th Century Fox, he walked away due to problems with the script.
15:45 Fox sued, and Desiree served as the forgettable compromise between the actor and the studio.
15:50 "French standards and the dirt." Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to
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16:07 1. Whoopi Goldberg - Theodore Rex "What are you doing?"
16:12 Kids these days aren't very familiar with Whoopi Goldberg, but the EGOT winner was once a truly
16:17 marketable star. Though she continued to land some solid roles after this farce of a film,
16:22 it's hard not to draw a correlation between the overall dip in quality roles and her involvement
16:26 with the one Theodore Rex. "Get me down. Now!"
16:33 Goldberg verbally agreed to do the film in 1992 and then tried to back out, only to be hit with
16:38 a $20 million lawsuit. In the end, Goldberg, begrudgingly, played the part, but continues
16:44 to insist that it's one of her biggest regrets. After terrible test screenings, the film was sent
16:49 straight to video. "Duh." Which of these legally bound roles do you think turned out the worst for
16:54 the actor involved? Let us know in the comments. "What do you expect, a bloody apology? You know
17:00 the rules of the game, you've been playing it long enough." Did you enjoy this video? Check
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17:11 [Music]