Top 20 Surprising Cameos in Remakes and Reboots
#20: Michael Cain
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“Get Carter” Fresh off appearances in “Alfie,” “The Italian Job” and a few other notable films, Michael Caine was the natural choice to play Jack Carter, a hardened gangster who investigates his brother’s death. While working on the film, the actor drew on his own experiences to play the criminal with a hard edge, as he’d come from a blue-collar background where many of his friends were involved in law breaking. When the film was remade with Sylvester Stallone starring as Carter, it seemed only natural to pay homage to the original, and so Michael Caine was brought back to play another important role this time around.
#19: Sean Connery
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“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991) The story of Robin Hood has been told time and time again. Some of them are more noteworthy than others. The 1991 version starring Kevin Costner did fairly well and brought in a worldwide gross of almost $400 million dollars. Aside from box office success and a massive hit from Bryan Adams on the soundtrack, the movie also gives a nod to a previous incarnation of the Robin Hood tale. Sean Connery made a surprising and brief appearance as King Richard near the end of the movie. Connery himself also once played Robin Hood in the 1976 film “Robin and Marian”.
#18: Ken Foree
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“Dawn of the Dead” (2004) Any classic movie from the 1970s is prime material for a 21st century remake. “Dawn of the Dead”, a zombie movie released in 1978, was just such a film. In the original, Kevin Foree played a major role as Peter Washington. He managed to survive the zombie attacks by the end of the movie. After the world made the undead popular again in the early 2000s, it was no surprise to see Zack Snyder redo the movie in 2004. What was a surprise was to see Kevin appear in the remade version as a televangelist. His videos about the end of the world constantly play out in the background.
#17: David Hasselhoff
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“Baywatch” (2017) Which Mitch did Baywatch love more: David Hasselhoff or Dwayne Johnson? If you never saw the original TV show, then you’d probably vote for The Rock. Hasselhoff was widely known for his time on both the original Baywatch show, as well as its spinoffs and made for TV movies. Of course, fans wondered if the original Mitch would pop up on the big screen. Sure enough, we got the cameo we wanted when the two shockingly meet away from the beach and inside of a Sprint store. As “old” Mitch speaks up, you can clearly hear the original TV show theme begin to play. It’s there we then see the New Mitch gets some sage advice from the original.
#16: Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam
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“Cape Fear” (1991) Sometimes a different director can take the same story with the same characters and give a different take. When Martin Scorsese decided to remake the classic “Cape Fear” in 1991, he did so by capturing its very essence while still creating a new piece of work. Scorsese provided a distinct set of cameos in his version. Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Martin Balsam had major roles in the original version. All three returned to make cameos in the new film. Although they played minor characters this time, they were still shocking to see.
#15: Richard Hatch
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“Battlestar Galactica” (2004-09) Richard Hatch starred in the original Battlestar Galactica TV show from the late 1970s. Ever since its cancellation, he had been trying to get a reboot off the ground. Despite his efforts, his version never made it to air. However, Ronald D. Moore did manage to reboot the show to much success. As to be expected, most of the main characters were recast. But the show couldn’t go on without including at least one nod to the original. Knowing this, we were still pleasantly surprised when Hatch was recast as Tom Zarek for the reboot. His character would ultimately play a pivotal role in some of the political plotlines of the show.
#14: Dan Aykroyd
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“Ghostbusters” (2016) When an all-female cast, unrelated to the original stars, was announced for 2016’s “Ghostbusters” there was a lot of buzz on whether or not the story was being true to the original. Whatever your opinion of this outing was, it certainly did its best to stay close to the initial tone. It also took care to include cameos from many members of the original “Ghostbusters” franchise. One of the best ones was that of Dan Aykroyd suddenly popping up as a NYC taxi driver. As Erin Gilbert tries to flee a myriad of ghosts, the taxi driver refuses to take her in a series of quick quips. We wish he would’ve followed up his sudden appearance and joined the fight against ghosts.
#13: Richard Roundtree
“Shaft” (2000) & “Shaft” (2019) Back in 1971, Richard Roundtree starred as the title character in “Shaft”, a movie praised for black representation in film. Two additional movies sharing the same name were made in 2000, and 2019. Although both are technically sequels as Samuel L. Jackson played the character of Shaft twice, we do get appearances from the original Shaft in the form of different relatives. Roundtree plays the uncle to Jackson’s Shaft in 2000 and the father to Shaft in 2021. The actor shows up both times when you least expect it. But what’s most important is that the newer films still maintain a connection to the original cast.
#12: Hugh Keays-Byrne
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“Mad Max: Fury Road” With Tom Hardy taking on Mel Gibson’s iconic role as the titular badass, it was up to Hugh Keays-Byrne to tie the fourth outing to the original. In “Fury Road,” Keays-Byrne plays the character big baddie Immortan Joe, while previously in the first “Mad Max” film, he’d played another villainous character; the motorcycle gang leader with the pleasant name Toecutter. The intervening 36 years helped to significantly improve Byrne’s acting skills, leading him to give a memorable performance and allowing George Miller to pay homage to the earlier movie without Gibson.
#11: Chris Sarandon
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“Fright Night” In the first “Fright Night” film, Chris Sarandon gave a surprisingly layered – yet still bloodthirsty – performance as vampiric villain Jerry Dandridge. Nearly 30 years later, he returned; but this time the vampire gets him. Playing the cameo role of Jay Dee in “Fright Night 2.0,” the character’s initials are a nod to his original character’s name, who in 2011 was played by Colin Farrell. Staying true to the spirit of the original with its signature humor and horror, the inclusion of Sarandon was one way filmmakers tried to appeal to existing fans of the series – and it worked.
#10: Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict
“The A-Team” (2010) Any TV series that did well in the 70s, 80s and 90s was prime material for a movie version. Frank Lupo’s “The A-Team” seemed like an easy action movie to put on the big screen. The show was massively popular in its heyday, lasting for 98 episodes. When the silver screen version hit theatres in 2010, original fans were praying for a cameo or two from the original cast. Both Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict, who played Murdock and Face respectively in the original, got quick cameos during a post-credit scene. Although we would’ve liked to see them in the movie proper, their last minute appearances still caught us off guard.
#9: John Wesley Shipp
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“The Flash” (2014-) When the CW launched “Arrow”, they had no idea an entire universe of shows would follow. Barry Allen’s appearance on the green toned show foreshadowed his own outing to follow. But It wasn’t the first time The Flash had been on television. In 1990, “The Flash” ran with John Wesley Shipp as the main character. Lasting only a single season, it’s was largely forgotten by all but the most hardcore fans. However, the 2014 show brought him back as Barry Allen’s father. But that’s not all. He’s been on and off the show in several surprising appearances including running in his original Flash costume. The show solidified this great link between old and new with an unexpected recurring cameo from his former scientist assistant Tina [xref].
#8: James Garner
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“Maverick” (1994) There was a time in Hollywood history where westerns were all the rage. The 1950s gave us a great comedic western TV show called “Maverick” starring the late James Garner as Bret Maverick. At 124 episodes, it’s a show that certainly had staying power and kept folks entertained. In 1994, a movie based on the TV show was commissioned with Mel Gibson playing the part of Maverick. The fantastic movie gave us a couple great cameos, like Mel Gibson’s “Lethal Weapon” co-star showing up for an awkward robbery. But original actor James Garner stole the show by appearing as a marshal who becomes entangled in the plot. We certainly didn’t expect him to get as much screen time as he did.
#7: Paul Michael Glaser & David Soul
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“Starsky & Hutch” As a film, the remake of the classic detective series stayed reasonably close to its roots, featuring familiar characters and the Ford Torino that just screams ‘70s – with a lot more laughs thrown in. While Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson did a good job with their take on Starsky and Hutch themselves, the film would be incomplete without a shout-out to the series that started it all, and we got one with the original TV actors both dropping in to hand over the keys. The speaking parts for the two veteran actors helped give the remake a seal of approval.
#6: Lou Ferrigno
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“Hulk” / “The Incredible Hulk” While a lot of younger viewers might not have seen the green giant’s original outing in the late-‘70s, many might recognize Lou Ferrigno nonetheless thanks to his Hulk-related cameos. In Ang Lee’s 2003 take, Ferrigno appeared beside Stan Lee as a tight-shirted security guard. And in the 2008 version starring Ed Norton, he turned up as a security guard once again! Of course, you might also know Ferrigno’s voice as one of many that makes up the Hulk’s growl in “The Avengers” movies. Though it’s a small part, he injects the role with real fury and helps connect the franchise to its roots; the Hulk’s just not complete without him.
#5: Burt Reynolds
“The Longest Yard” Fans of the 1974 film, about a pro quarterback who winds up in jail and ends up leading a team of convicts in a prison football game, got a pleasant surprise when Burt Reynolds showed up as Coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake. Unlike some of the other films on this list, where the actor shows up for a brief walk-on appearance, Reynolds’ new role is a substantial one: he stars as the coach who corrals the ragtag team together – and he gets a bit rough and rowdy with the cast to boot, insisting on doing some of his own stunts.
#4: Johnny Depp
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“21 Jump Street” Most of the cameos on this list were designed to pay tribute for the source material, and “21 Jump Street” is no different… Well, for the most part. While the ‘80s series on which Johnny Depp got his big break featured more drama than comedy, Depp decided that if he were to return to the franchise, he’d like to have some fun: not only did he insist on having his former co-star Peter DeLuise come back with him; he also forced writers to kill them both off. The filmmakers obliged, creating a memorable scene that proved the films did not need to be shackled to the past.
#3: Leonard Nimoy
“Star Trek” Leonard Nimoy had a love-hate relationship with his most famous character earlier in his career, as evidenced by his autobiographies “I Am Not Spock” and “I Am Spock.” But he softened his stance, and reprised the role of the beloved Vulcan several times during his career. But his appearance in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot went beyond a mere cameo: his involvement kickstarted the entire plot. He appeared briefly in the next installment, “Into Darkness;” but sadly, his death in February 2015 means that those were some of his final roles. But what a legacy he left.
#2: Charlton Heston
“Planet of the Apes” Tim Burton’s remake of the classic ape-‘em-up may’ve left a lot of fans wanting more, but they were certainly satisfied with some of the notable shout-outs to the 1968 – particularly, Charlton Heston’s performance as Zaius. Since this was one of Heston’s last film roles before his death, it’s fitting that it referenced something from his career heyday. However, we can’t ignore the delicious irony that Heston himself is now portraying one of the damn, dirty apes. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Kevin McCarthy, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) McCarthy Surprisingly Ran Back Into the Remake After Starring in the Original Lost in Space Cast, “Lost in Space” (1998) June Lockhart Appearing as Principal in the Film Was One of Several Shocking Cameos Jaclyn Smith, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003) Original Angel Kelly Garrett Was a Literal Vision in the 2003 film Lynda Carter, “WW84” (2020) Carter Stunned Us With a Mid-Credits Cameo as a New Character
#1: Bill Murray
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“Ghostbusters” (2016) Murray wasn’t the first one “Ghostbuster” on this list, but he is #1. There were quite a few others that popped up from the original cast. We previously mentioned Dan Aykroyd’s cameo appearance as a cab driver. Sigourney Weaver also showed up as a mentor [xref], Annie Potts was a receptionist, [xref] and Ernie Hudson got in on the action as a relative [xref3]. But the best cameo came from Venkmen himself, Bill Murray. He surprisingly appears as a non-believer in spirits and such. It’s funny getting to see him play against what his original character spent so much time defending against. If we’re lucky, we’ll see him again in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.
