I've always wondered, do movie franchises (like avengers), and long running shows shoot scenes or an alternate plotline or something, to explain the absence of an actor in the case that they die in real life? Given that they don't replace the character of course.
If so, are there any examples of the same?
You can't film a movie with alternative plotlines in case every actor should die. You'd write 10 films, and you'd have no idea at what stage in the process it would be someone could hypothetically die.
20
theblackfoolMar 31, 2026
+11
I think film and TV production is too expensive to do this, unless they already have reason to believe the actor in question is going to die. And in that case they probably just wouldn't hire them in the first place, or that actor wouldn't be taking on new roles.
11
CJett92Mar 31, 2026
+8
I don't think anyone ever plans for someone to die, the thought is really fucked up ngl. "Hey we're gonna shoot this scene in case you die, just so it doesn't inconvenience us later."
8
cgknight1Mar 31, 2026
+6
No - it would be prohibitively expensive and movies and shows simply do not have the time.
6
mikeyfreshhMar 31, 2026
+6
They don't plan for this and if it does happen, they just have to deal with it. Paul Walker's death in whatever Fast and Furious movie (7?) is probably the best example of how this actually works
6
SecksualinnuendoMar 31, 2026
+2
They might have some ideas written up if an actor dies or quits but they don't film extra scenes. It would be too expensive. Look at Carrie Fisher in rise of Skywalker. They used old footage, alternate takes, body doubles and cgi to show horn her in the movie.
2
cerberaspeedtwelveMar 31, 2026
+2
Related trivia: When writing Return of the Jedi, it was unclear if Harrison Ford would be returning for the third movie. He really hated the character of Han Solo, and was afraid of being typecast forever as a swaggering rogue. The solution was to almost literally put the character 'on ice.' They froze Solo in carbonite at the end of Empire Strikes Back, which would give the writers the time and flexibility they needed to develop a third installment with or without him.
It turns out that Ford was not a particularly good negotiator. He did agree to come back for a third movie, on the condition that his character gets killed off. (The original script had Solo sacrifice his life in a kamikaze attack on the Death Star reactor core.) Once again, he got persuaded out of this, and Solo is alive and kicking at the end ... which meant that he could appear one last time in The Force Awakens.
2
neoblackdragonMar 31, 2026
+2
No, because then they don't hire the actor. They don't plan a production around a known dying actor.
Or the actor shows up for a day.
2
batotitMar 31, 2026
+2
It is easy to fake it anyway. Look at the TV series The Rookie. The actor who portrays one of their main characters just had a disagreement with the management and quit, and so in the next season, they just put a cover over his face, and the bad guys just shoot him.
2
ripcobainMar 31, 2026
+1
Put simply: no.
If a movie needs to redo a script, they will probably just hire another screenwriter. For a television show, there is a writer's room of 8-10 people who are more than capable of creating a reason for a character to no longer be in the show. See Kevin Spacey in House of Cards for example.
There are also examples especially now of actors being placed into a film post mortem using extra footage or AI. Carrie Fisher in the Star Wars sequel and Heath Ledger in his final film as examples.
1
VampireHunterAlexMar 31, 2026
+1
This post makes my brain hurt…
1
StinkFartButtMar 31, 2026
+1
No that is crazy.
1
worstusername_sofarMar 31, 2026
+1
Didn't the guy that made Babylon 5 have 'trapdoors'? Maybe look that up
1
GravuercMar 31, 2026
+1
No, but if it does happen the film might get re-edited and additional scenes filmed to complete the movie.
One of the biggest success stories of a film that they did this with was when Brandon Lee was accidentally killed on the set of The Crow.
There is an excellent book written by Bridget Baiss called The Crow: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Classic Film if you would like a detailed account of the making of this film.
1
AbiesIndependent3365Mar 31, 2026
+1
Didn't Dallas once turn an entire series into a dream?
They also replaced Miss Ellie with some random when the original actreess nearly pegged it.
1
BroForceOneMar 31, 2026
+1
I’m just reminded of scene in The Last Jedi where they killed Leia then plot armored her back to life after Carrie Fischer’s actual death just to have a handful of left over live action and CG filler shots afterward.
So basically no, no one plans for this or has any canned ideas for what to do about it when it happens.
1
FormABruteSquadMar 31, 2026
+1
During the Brosnan era of Bond films, they did this for Derek Llewellyn who played Q. He was very old.
1
res30stupidMar 31, 2026
+1
Generally, no. They don't shoot scenes pre-emptively in case the actor passes away. That's why they have insurance on all the actors in case something goes horrifically wrong. They usually just have to work around the problem.
A great example of this is the show *Death In Paradise* where guest star Larrington Walker passed away halfway through shooting his scenes for the episode. The episode had to be heavily rewritten for the second half since Walker was playing that week's murderer so his absence was written into the episode - the cops figured out he did it and go to arrest him, only to find he's already fled abroad.
It also led to the cancellation of the show The Sarah Jane Adventures since they were halfway through filming the fifth series when actress Elizabeth Sladen was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer meaning she only had weeks to live when it was found.
1
zowietremendouslyMar 31, 2026
-4
If it's a production run by Alec Baldwin, the answer is no.
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