[Supes]

But it'd be funny with Rickman, wouldn't it? He's one of those actors who can make light of a bad movie. Remember, he was the only saving grace in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He just has that ability to make the most of his role and laugh at it all. It's great.

That's why it would have been better if he played Anakin. Ian if fine to continue as Palpy, but let's face it. Annie needs something and I'm sure Alan would have provided it.

[Jordan]

Remember, George Lucas had Christopher Lee as well. And he went to waste too. 

Good point JYAMG. You also forgot to mention Liam Neeson, Samuel Jackson, Ian Mcdirmad (sp?), and Ewan Mcgregor.

Chef already pointed this out I think, but allow me to reiterate. It doesn't matter how much of an allstar cast you can cramp into a movie, if the script sucks, then the actors stand little to no chance of bailing the film out. An actor can really make a movie, but the script has to be there in order for that actor to shine. It's a symbiotic relation where the script has to be good before the actor can break through.

Gary Oldman? Ya maybe, but the film's script is going to be terrible, so really it makes no differnce.

Also, Grevious is CG, therefore at most Oldman can do a voice over.

[barend]

even more so, the actors need something to act at/with/to.

as much as i believe, GO could do a stellar performance infront of a blue screen, if it doesn't match exactly what he does it'll all go to shit.

[DistantAngel]

It was often said that there was curse on actresses in Spielberg movies in that it was pretty much a career killer. Not in the sense that they never work again, but more in that they never appear in anything particularly high profile - they mainly end up in much smaller films, leaving the general public wondering, "whatever happened to ...?" Consider the evidence; Karen Allen in "Radiers Of The Lost Ark", Alison Doody in "Last Crusade", Caroline Goodall in "Schindler's List" and "Hook", Frances O'Connor in "AI", and Dee Wallace in "ET". Laura Dern has maybe survived "Jurassic Park", but only because she was relatively well established beforehand.

Where am I going with this? I'll tell you. I reckon a similar curse exists with Lucas' films, but it's slightly different. "Star Wars" has taken some damn fine established actors and almost taken an eraser to their CVs. Not wiping them out, but severely smudging them beyond recognition. Alec Guinness was one of the finest, most accomplished actors to have walked the planet - his performances in "Kind Hearts and Coronets", and "The Ladykillers" are fantastic, perfect, and impossible to duplicate. But all anyone can remember about his career is Obi-Wan Kenobi, which isn't a crap role, but it pissed him off no end that that's all anyone ever wanted to ask him about.

The same has been done with the prequel trilogy. Liam Neeson has turned in some damn good performances, "Schindler's List" being one of the most memorable. But, no matter what he does in the future, he's always going to be "that bloke who got gutted by the demented member of Kiss in Phantom Menace". Ewan McGregor, awesome performance in "Trainspotting", forever burned into people's minds as a low-rent Alec Guinness and guardian to a stroppy teenager in ATOC. There is an exception to the rule, as there always is, and that's Samuel L. Jackson - he's already had his career defining role and, no matter how much you try, you cannot see Mace Windu as anything other than a Bad Mother F--ker. His CV is smudge proof.

With actors for whom Star Wars was a big break (in that their careers were non-existent beforehand anyway), they've been consigned to obscurity - Mark Hammill, Peter Mayhew, Dave Prowse, and so on, will only ever be remembered for Star Wars (except possibly here in the UK Dave Prowse will be forever associated with the Green Cross Code - a somewhat dodgy road safety campaign which involved Mr Prowse dressed in a skin-tight white and green lycra suit offering to help children across the road with the assistance of a dustbin-like robot).

I'm sure there are many others who have been similarly affected. But, maybe I'm wrong ... but it sure does seem that acting in Star Wars tends to smudge one's career a little, in that whatever fine work you've done before or since, SW is all you'll be remembered for. Pity, really.

[Helena]

Where am I going with this?  I'll tell you.  I reckon a similar curse exists with Lucas' films, but it's slightly different.  "Star Wars" has taken some damn fine established actors and almost taken an eraser to their CVs.  Not wiping them out, but severely smudging them beyond recognition.  Alec Guinness was one of the finest, most accomplished actors to have walked the planet - his performances in "Kind Hearts and Coronets", and "The Ladykillers" are fantastic, perfect, and impossible to duplicate.  But all anyone can remember about his career is Obi-Wan Kenobi, which isn't a crap role, but it pissed him off no end that that's all anyone ever wanted to ask him about.

I believe Sean Connery had the same issues with the Bond films...