The sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman hits theaters this Friday. Curiously, the film is titled The Huntsman: Winter's War. "Snow White" has been appropriately dropped, as there is no longer a Snow White to speak of. That's right, the co-star of the original is MIA in round two. This isn't one of those situations where it's a new film with an entirely different cast masking as a sequel, either — pretty much the entire original cast is in the film. Chris Hemsworth stars as the titular huntsman, Eric, while Charlize Theron reprises her role as Evil Queen Ravenna. Even trusty dwarf Nion (Nick Frost) and Snow White's childhood BFF, King William (Sam Claflin), are returning.
It's not been made entirely clear why Kristen Stewart was booted and the sequel rebranded, but it's not a stretch to imagine her affair with the original director, Rupert Sanders, had something to do with it. (At the time, Sanders was married and Stewart was dating Robert Pattinson.) This theory makes the most sense, given that Sanders, too, has been replaced with Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont.
While we've yet to see how The Huntsman plans to explain Snow White's absence, if history is our guide, then the omission will get a passing mention or lame quasi-explanation at best — if it's not ignored entirely. Sequels have a habit of unceremoniously dropping main characters without bothering to justify the absence. The reasons range from scheduling conflicts and creative decisions to on-set tiffs. Here are 10 times Hollywood lost a movie character and apparently just hoped we wouldn't notice.
Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) Appeared in The Fast and the Furious(2001), Disappeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
You've probably forgotten that Diesel was ever not an integral part of the chicks-and-racing franchise. And the actor himself would like to, as well, confessing he regrets the confusing move. Though the sequel fared well without him, Diesel couldn't stay away for long. After making a super-brief cameo in the third movie, he came back in full force for the next four — and even went so far as to make a short film explaining his absence. He'll be back again for number 8 next year.
Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) Appeared in Speed (1994), Disappeared in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Despite their unstoppable chemistry and that epic final make out, Jack and Annie (Sandra Bullock) didn't make it to the sequel, much to the disappointment of fans. Reeves was smart enough to turn down the critically eviscerated sequel, which took place on a cruise ship and gave Annie a new love interest. "A cruise ship is even slower than a bus," he said of his decision.
Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider) Appeared in Grown Ups(2010),
Disappeared in Grown Ups 2(2013)
Schneider was the only member of the original gang (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and David Spade) who was MIA in the sequel. But I think we can all agree that the real mystery here is how yet another crappy Adam Sandler comedy was green-lit — and why Chris Rock felt the need to participate again.
Agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) Appeared in Hellboy (2004),
Disappeared in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
I mean, Myers may have been the most average human in Guillermo del Toro's strange, demonic Hellboy universe. In the sequel, it's mentioned in passing that the agent was transferred to Anarctica. Guess he couldn't take the heat. (Zing!)
Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) Appeared in Independence Day (1996), Disappeared in Independence Day: Resurgence(2016)
We're truly thrilled that this apocalyptic action-epic is returning to the big screen two decades later — and that it's bringing Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman along with it. But the absence of the film's anchor, Will Smith, is a WTF move to us. Luckily, we've got the likes of Liam Hemsworth to distract us. And Jessie Usher will hopefully channel the original star as Hiller's son.
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) & Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) Appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003) ; Dead Man's Chest(2006); and At World's End(2007), Disappeared in On Stranger Tides (2011)
Honestly, we're just surprised the actors lasted three films in this absurdly overdone, rapid-fire franchise. But don't worry, Orlando Bloom fans — the actor is set to return for round five in 2017 with Dead Men Tell No Tales. The day the POTC franchise will finally walk the plank is when Johnny Depp fails to reprise his role as the now-iconic Captain Jack.
Snow White (Kristen Stewart) Appeared in Snow White And The Hunstman (2012),
Disappeared in The Hunstman: Winter's War(2016)
While it's not clear exactly why KStew got the boot, we wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the fact that public opinion of the actress is mixed, while people seem to unequivocally love Chris Hemsworth. Luckily, Stewart already has one super-successful fantasy franchise under her belt. And now, Thor has got a whole fairytale action behemoth to himself and a potential new romantic interest in Emily Blunt as Ravenna's rival, sister Freya.
Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) appeared in xXx (2002), Disappeared in xXx: State of the Union (2005) '
That's right — Vin is a repeat offender when it comes to skipping out on the sequel. Diesel went from taking down Russian terrorists to changing diapers in The Pacifier, while Ice Cube took the helm for part deux. Interestingly, Ice Cube and Diesel will team up to star in the third movie, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, hitting theaters in January 2017.
Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) Appeared in Transformers (2007) & Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Disappeared in Dark Side of the Moon (2011)
Megan Fox departed before the third film following reports of friction with director Michael Bay. Badass Mikaela's boyfriend Sam (Shia LaBeouf) wasn't lonely long, though — model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stepped up to the plate as Sam's new love interest. And despite her complete lack of acting experience, she was a totally suitable replacement for the coveted (not) hot-girlfriend role.
Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) Appeared in Transformers(2007); Revenge of the Fallen (2009) & Dark Side of the Moon (2011), Disappeared in Age of Extinction (2014)
First the female lead, now the male? Apparently, Michael Bay is not too concerned about continuity when it comes to his bloated blockbuster series. The fourth installment started fresh, without any mention of Sam. New star Mark Wahlberg's theory? "Sam and his entirely family were swept away. Not by robots...by a tornado." Good enough for us.
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