12 Actors Who Want To Reprise Their Most Famous Character Roles

For years Keanu Reeves has wanted to reprise his role as John Constantine in a sequel to the 2005 film Constantine, and it seems his wishes are about to come true. 

When promoting his newest film The Matrix Resurrections on The Late Show, Reeves told host Stephen Colbert that Constantine is a character he has always wanted to play again. "I would love to be John Constantine again," he said. "I've tried."

After years of trying his best to get the sequel made, Reeves is more than ready to give Constantine fans what they have been craving. Little is known about its production or release date, but as of 2022, a second film has been confirmed, with filmmaker Francis Lawrence returning.

Draco Malfoy was the character everyone loved to hate until the layers of his character began to reveal themselves in the latter Harry Potter films. This villain couldn't have been played by anyone other than Tom Felton, who breathed life into the character, eventually winning over the hearts of many in the last film in the franchise. 

Unfortunately, with the franchise ended, many have been left wishing they could see more Draco action, including Tom Felton. When interviewed about whether or not he would want to reprise his role in any spin-off movies, he said yes: 

If you're asking me will I dye my hair blonde again to be Draco, abso-bloody-lutely. Either [him or Lucius]. I'll play Draco's kid if you really want! Any chance to be a Malfoy again would be greatly accepted."

Many DC comic fans regard 2008's The Dark Knight as not only the best Batman film, but also one of the best superhero movies ever made. All three films of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy were hugely successful, and there have been whispers of a fourth film, but Christian Bale has said it's unlikely. However, he also said he would gladly reprise his role, but only if Nolan directed it. 

When asked about a followup to the trilogy, Bale said:

I had a pact with Chris Nolan. We said, “Hey, look. Let’s make three films if we’re lucky enough to get to do that. And then let’s walk away. Let’s not linger too long.”

But it seems Bale hasn't completely discounted a fourth outing. He went on to say: 

In my mind, it would be something if Chris Nolan ever said to himself, “You know what, I’ve got another story to tell.” And if he wished to tell that story with me, I’d be in.

Robert De Niro is a Hollywood heavyweight who has played numerous roles in highly successful films over the years. Yet, out of the many films he has been in, it's one of his earliest movies that has him wanting to reprise his role. 

Since the 1990s, De Niro has expressed in countless interviews that he wants to reprise his role as Travis Bickle in a Taxi Driver sequel. When discussing his 2018 film The Irishman, De Niro reminisced over his role as Bickle:

For years, I was thinking where Travis Bickle would be today, and we spoke to Marty [Scorsese] about it, and Paul Schrader came up with something. But it never worked out. I think there may be something interesting in what happened to him, but we couldn’t find the right thing.

Despite De Niro's fascination with his past character, there is unlikely to be a Taxi Driver sequel, no matter how much he wants there to be one. 

Following 2022's sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, rubber-faced funnyman Jim Carrey announced he was retiring from acting. This would seem to put the kibosh on any future films, though Carrey didn't entirely rule out a certain famous franchise.

During an interview, he was asked if he would like to reprise any of his past roles, to which he replied no, but that he could be swayed to reprise his role in a third Ace Ventura film:

I think after the fact, when there’s been a lot of years, unless some genius person, director, auteur comes to you with a completely new take on what’s going on, you know. If Chris Nolan came to me and said, “I want to make Ace Ventura real, and I want to do something, you know, something more interesting...” then I might listen.

Although a third film is reportedly in the works, no one knows if Carrey will be involved.

Andrew Garfield's charming personality helped The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 become box office successes. Critically, however, they went over like lead balloons. 

In the latest MCU Spider-Man installment, Garfield appeared as a Peter Parker from a parallel universe. Ever since, fans have been frothing at the mouth, wondering if he will be reprising his role in a third installment of his misbegotten franchise.

Garfield has denied that there will be a third movie, but he expressed that he’s more than open to the idea of playing Peter Parker again. When asked, he said:

I mean, yes, definitely open to something if it felt right. Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that; if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.

After three successful Blade films, it's no surprise that Wesley Snipes wants to reprise his role for a fourth installment. In 2016, Snipes took to Twitter to express his enthusiasm toward becoming Blade again:

When it comes to another BLADE, there’s always a possibility. Ball’s in Marvel’s court.

However, it seems all but impossible that Snipes will reprise the role, given that Disney has announced it will be producing a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali as the daywalker.

Everyone knows Chris Evans for his role as Captain America in the many Marvel films he has been in. Yet, long before he picked up the star-spangled shield, Evans played another Marvel hero: Johnny Storm (AKA the Human Torch) in 2005's Fantastic Four and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Evans has said that he felt the character had unfinished business, and he would love to reprise the role of Johnny Storm in a third film. When asked about it, Evans said:

Look, I would love it… No, no one's ever come to me about that. I mean, I don't exactly look the same anymore. That was 15, almost 20 years ago. Oh my God, I'm old. But I really love that character.

Currently, Marvel is busy with another Fantastic Four film, but Evans wasn't chosen to reprise his role as the Human Torch. 

In the Star Wars Han Solo spin-off film, little-known actor Alden Ehrenreich picked up the role made famous by Harrison Ford. 

Although the film didn’t do as well as the other Star Wars films in the franchise and was the lowest-grossing, Ehrenreich garnered fans who believe he did the role justice. 

When asked if he would reprise his Star Wars role as the smuggler, Ehrenreich said that whether or not he became Solo again would depend on numerous factors: 

It depends on what it is…. It depends on how it's done. It depends if it feels innate to the story.

Talks of a Solo sequel have been floating around for years, but there is no confirmation yet.

Though Mr. and Mrs. Smith was released decades ago, in 2005, fans are still hoping for a sequel. Unfortunately, that seems highly unlikely to occur, since the main actors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, have since married and divorced and have been embroiled in a legal battle. 

Yet, in the past, Jolie has expressed her desire to reprise her role as Mrs. Smith, but she had reservations. She said: 

We did ask somebody to look into Mr. & Mrs. to see if they could crack a sequel, but there wasn't anything original. It was just, “Well, they're going to get married, or they've got kids, or they get separated.” Never great. 

In 2010, she went on to say that she would be open to a sequel: 

I'd love to. We've talked about it. We'd have to figure out who will watch the kids, but it's really about finding the right thing because we've looked.

Years later, it's unlikely she would be willing to reprise her role, considering the abuse allegations she has since levied against Pitt. 

Renee Zellweger won her first Oscar nomination for her role as Bridget Jones in the film Bridget Jones's Diary, a romantic comedy and commercial success based on a much-loved book series. The movie was so successful, in fact, that two more films were made. 

With so many people loving the film and her portrayal of Bridget - and the author releasing a fourth book - it’s unsurprising that Zellweger said she would love to reprise her role in a fourth installment. When questioned about a fourth film on The Talk, she said:

Helen’s written the book, and I love this character. So, I mean, if they call me, I’ll go running.

Additionally, in an interview with People magazine, Zellweger said:

Man, I’d love the experience of revisiting her. I love her…. I just think she’s so much fun. She’s the best.

As of 2022, it’s reported there is talk that the fourth film will pick up six years after the birth of Jones's son. 

Sophie Turner is best known for her roles in the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones and as Jean Grey in the final X-Men films. Following Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox, Turner's appearance as Jean Grey in 2019's Dark Phoenix seems likely to be her last - and even Fox executive Emma Watts described that film as “the perfect send-off for the franchise.”

But that hasn’t stopped Turner from expressing her interest in reprising the role: 

I don’t even know what the deal is, whether Disney wants to continue on the X-Men journey. I would always be down to go back to that character and that cast and that experience. We had the best time in those movies. I would kill to go back.