It’s always a terrible thing when someone passes away, that almost goes without saying.
But what happens when they pass away in the middle of a $70 million project?
Well at that point, you have to keep making the movie. Even if it does seem a little bit in poor taste.
1. “Saratoga”
Star Who Passed Away: Jean Harlow
She was a sex symbol, she was a famous actress, and she passed away while filming Saratoga .
The studio was going to replace her, but instead filled her parts in with doubles.
2. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”
Star Who Passed Away: Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Hoffman passed away before he could finish playing the role of Plutarch.
However, instead of shooting with doubles or using CGI, director Francis Lawrence just scaled back Plutarch’s role.
3. “Twilight Zone: The Movie”
Star Who Passed Away: Vic Morrow
This was a very different case than most of the others on this list, as Vic Morrow didn’t die before the production at all: he did while filming.
There was one day left in the Vietnam segment…
And an accident happened where a stunt helicopter driver, who was disoriented by pyrotechnics, landed on top of the actor, as well as two child actors named Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen.
Truly a tragedy.
4. “Game of Death”
Star Who Passed Away: Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee passed away before he could finish this film, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t in it after his death.
They used footage of Lee in his casket for a scene where his character fakes his death. Footage of his actual body.
5. “The Crow”
Star Who Passed Away: Brandon Lee
This is the saddest “like father like son” ever.
But in Brandon’s case, he was killed on set by a blank that misfired. How tragic .
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6. “Gladiator”
Star Who Passed Away: Oliver Reed
Back in 2000 they had no idea how they were going to replace Oliver Reed when he passed away in the middle of the Gladiator production.
But somehow, they figured it out.
7. “The Rise Of Skywalker”
Star Who Passed Away: Carrie Fisher
Disney is a big fan of puppeteering celebrities who have passed away with CGI.
They did it famously with Peter Cushing , and then they did it with Carrie Fisher.
8. “Toy Story 4”
Star Who Passed Away: Don Rickles
Don Rickles actually didn’t record a word for Mr. Potato Head before they started the film.
So, they went through 25 years of stuff and cobbled the performance together.
9. “Shrek”
Star Who Passed Away: Chris Farley
Chris Farley, one of the funniest men of all time , had actually finished about 90% of the lines of Shrek before he passed away.
That’s when Mike Myers took over.
10. “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
Star Who Passed Away: Heath Ledger
We all know that he died after his amazing Joker performance, but something we may have missed was his performance in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus .
Three actors had to take over parts for him:
Mostly in dream sequences. Some of Ledger’s friends, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, all graciously stepped up for the roles.
The movie was pretty darn good in the end.
11. “Furious 7”
Star Who Passed Away: Paul Walker
One of the most tragic deaths of this generation was Paul Walker. He famously passed away in a car accident while filming the seventh installment in the Fast and Furious franchise.
So what did they do?
Well, they used a lot of stand-ins for the scenes where he was needed.
And as for his lines, half of the time it would be him and the other half it would be one of his brothers.
