Laura Dern in Jurassic World Dominion, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick – 10 actors’ belated returns to iconic movie roles that we love

Hollywood is in the midst of a legacy sequel explosion, with the original casts of beloved films back for more action – even if that’s decades down the line
We highlight 10 of our favourite returns, from Harrison Ford’s reprisals of his Star Wars and Blade Runner roles to Tom Cruise’s Top Gun sequel 36 years later

American cinema

James Marsh

Published: 7:15pm, 4 Jun 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

From Top Gun: Maverick to The Matrix: Resurrections, Hollywood is in the midst of a legacy sequel explosion. With blockbusters increasingly dependent upon existing IPs and brand recognition, what better way to find an audience than with the return of your original star?

Paul Newman bagged a long overdue Oscar when he revisited his iconic pool shark from 1961’s The Hustler in Martin Scorsese’s 1986 sequel, The Color of Money. But others have waited even longer.

As Ewan McGregor fires up his lightsabre once more for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, we highlight 10 of our favourite returning heroes.

1. Sylvester Stallone, 20 years between Rambo III (1988) and Rambo (2008)

The Italian Stallion bagged an Oscar nomination for reprising his over-the-hill prizefighter Rocky Balboa in 2015’s Creed, but in his other signature role, that of Vietnam vet and soldier of fortune John Rambo, he waited two decades before mounting his comeback.

2. Laura Dern, 21 years between Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

It is ironic that a franchise about resurrecting extinct creatures from the past should persistently entice its original cast members back. This time, Dern’s palaeontologist appears alongside Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

3. Ewan McGregor, 21 years between Trainspotting (1996) and T2: Trainspotting (2017)

Since author Irvine Welsh had penned a sequel for the ne’er-do-well Scottish druggies in 2002, McGregor and co needed only to sit back and age gracefully. The result was a hugely effective, and much underrated commentary on growing up and choosing life.

4. Jeff Bridges, 28 years between Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010)

Director Joseph Kosinski’s follow-up to the arcade-game-era phenomenon updated the original’s mind-blowing visuals for the IMAX generation, while Bridges’ hero Kevin Flynn is reimagined as a Dude-esque sage figure within the Grid.

5. Keanu Reeves/Alex Winter, 29 years between Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

Reeves returned to The Matrix after 17 years, but also, with original co-star Winter, revisited their clueless time-travelling slackers, who are still struggling to write the song to save the world 30 years on.

6. Mark Hamill/Carrie Fisher et al., 32 years between Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Embodying everything fans loved and also hated about the sequel trilogy that saw Disney go all-in on their latest acquisition, Luke, Leia and Han return to mentor a new generation of heroes.

7. Bill Murray et al., 32 years between Ghostbusters II (1989) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

For years, Murray refused to commit to a third Ghostbusters movie, but after making unrelated cameos in the 2016 reboot, Murray, Dan Ackroyd and Ernie Hudson finally donned their proton packs again for Jason Reitman’s misty-eyed 2021 sequel.

8. Eddie Murphy, 33 years between Coming to America (1988) and Coming 2 America (2021)

Murphy was at the height of his powers when he first played Prince Akeem of Zamunda. Three decades later, his career needed a boost, so Murphy and co-star Arsenio Hall both reprise a raft of old familiar characters.

9. Harrison Ford, 35 years between Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Ford has become the uncrowned king of the legacy sequel, returning to many beloved characters, from Han Solo to Indiana Jones. Arguably none more effectively, however, than as Deckard in Denis Villeneuve’s spectacular sequel, opposite Ryan Gosling’s replicant blade runner.

10. Tom Cruise, 36 years between Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Nobody was clamouring for a sequel to Tony Scott’s uber-’80s aerial dogfight movie, and eyebrows were certainly raised when Cruise, who turns 60 next month, climbed into the cockpit. How wrong we were. This visually astonishing action spectacle pays loving homage to its predecessor, but also contemplates Cruise’s own durability as Hollywood’s last remaining movie star.

Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook