"Tell me. WHAT THE F*CK HAPPENED TO BRENDON THWAITES?" Fans' angry tweets are everywhere.
14 July 2019 by Fachana Techamaneewat
Disney's Maleficent first hit theatres on May 28 2014, and fans fell in love immediately with the actor Brenton Thwaites' and his character, Prince Phillip.
However, when the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil trailer premiered, there's a glaring difference with Prince Philip. It turns out Prince Philip has been recast. And fans aren't having it.
First of all, who is Brenton Thwaites?
Fans loved him as Prince Philip and were excited to see him reprise his role after the sequel was announced. Brenton's career also flourished after his role in Maleficent, and fans saw him act in big-budget movies such as Gods of Egypt as Bek, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales as Henry Turner, and recently in DC Universe's live adaptation of Teen Titans as Dick Grayson.
Breton would be a seasoned actor by the time he returned as Prince Philip. But when fans realised that he had been replaced, well, fans were understandably upset.
If that wasn't bad enough, fans were also angry that the casting director didn't even find someone who looked alike. Side by side, the two actors couldn't look more different from one another.
So, why on earth did Disney recast the role of Prince Phillip?
Due to scheduling conflicts, according to Variety. It seems, unfortunately to fans, that Brenton Thwaites was already committed to another project.
That is, snagging the role of Dick Grayson in DC Universe's Teen Titans live-action adaptation.
Not a bad gig, if we do say so ourselves. Is it a better one, though? Who knows.
At least we know that Disney wasn't in the wrong this time round.
So who is Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) replacement?
The actor who replaced Brenton Thwaites as Prince Philip is Harris Dickinson. Harris played Liam Stewart in Darkest Minds, a film with the same executive producer as Stranger Things, Shawn Levy.
Of course, Harris Dickinson isn't as well known as Brenton, but he has a pretty list of notable acting credits under his belt.
Although we won't be able to see Brenton on the big screen this time, fans will be happy to know that they'll still be able to watch him on the small screen.
He's currently starring in the Titans series as Robin AKA Dick Grayson, and it has been renewed for a second season that's expected to be released around October this year on DC Universe and is expected to be on Netflix in early 2020. (Season 1 can now be streamed on Netflix).
In the meantime, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil will hit US and UK theatres on October 18.
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Fachana Techamaneewat is a news writer at Exclusive Hollywood and is responsible for researching and writing news articles while providing story updates wherever necessary.
Fun fact: On the weekends, she's an avid writer for practically anything. Her current obsession is the Umbrella Academy, and as of now, is writing a book.
