Line #95 DemotedToExtra/LiveActionFilms


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13	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* In ''Film/TwentyFourHourPartyPeople'', the other members of Joy Division that became Music/NewOrder. New Order guitarist/keyboardist Gillian Gilbert gets it worse and only appears twice, briefly and in non-speaking parts.
14	* The character of Pete, the largely silent and essentially background droog in ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'', played quite a pivotal role in the last chapter of Anthony Burgess's original novel. However, since [[Film/AClockworkOrange Kubrick's]] [[CompressedAdaptation adaptation]] was based on a version of the book with the final chapter excised, Pete's role was rendered largely inconsequential.
15	* A literal example. Creator/IsabelleFuhrman had been cast in a small role in ''Film/AfterEarth'', but in the finished film, she is reduced to a split-second non-speaking appearance (when Kitai is told he is not being advanced).
16	%%Needs context about their previous role.* The Chipettes only had a small role in ''Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip''.
17	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* The Kevin Myers character suffers from this in the third ''Film/AmericanPie'' film, commensurate with the rise of BreakoutCharacter Stifler.
18	%%Needs context about their previous roles.* Ed and Garth from ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'' are relegated to cameos in ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues''. Justified though, in that the sequel takes place in a new city and already had to deal with a large cast.
19	* Zooey Deschanel's character gives the impression that there were a lot more scenes with her that didn't make the final cut of ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord''. The section of the film with her in it was originally supposed to be an hour longer.
20	%%Needs context about their previous roles.* Baby Bop and BJ played minor roles in ''Film/BarneysGreatAdventure''.
21	* ''Film/TheBoogeyman2023'': In the short story the film was based on, Lester Billings was the main protagonist. Here, he's a supporting character [[spoiler:who dies early on]].
22	* Death, who's the book's narrator, only has a few voiceovers through the film of ''Literature/TheBookThief'' (the beginning, the end, and a few {{Time Skip}}s).
23	* ''Film/TheBravados:'' In the book, Sanchez leads the pursuit of the escaped prisoners and arguably does more to kill or recapture them than Douglas, TheHero. In the film, Sanchez is fairly prominent before the jailbreak [[spoiler:but is badly wounded during it and can't accompany the {{posse}}.]]
24	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Zoe Kravitz's character Christina suffers this fate in ''Film/TheDivergentSeriesAllegiant'', the third film in ''The Divergent series''.
25	* The French played a substantial role in the Crimean War, contributing more troops than the British and taking part in all of the war's major battles. You wouldn't know it from ''Film/TheChargeOfTheLightBrigade'', where they're barely mentioned.
26	%%Needs context about how this affected the size of his role.* Dan Murray, who played a large role in ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'' and all Jack Ryan Sr. books after that, is [[spoiler: killed in the Colombian Cartel attack on the FBI Director, when in the book, he wasn't even there!]]
27	* Scottie had a somewhat larger role in the novel (she confronts Troy at the club, and has several moments of acting out by hurting herself) than in the film of ''Film/TheDescendants''.
28	* LAPD officer Sergeant Al Powell is a big part of ''Franchise/DieHard'', but none of the other films take place in Los Angeles. The second film offers him a gratuitous cameo, and the rest leave him out all together. Possibly justified in that Al had a family and was working the beat again by the second movie, so he wouldn't have been able to join John for more adventures. Not to mention [[Series/FamilyMatters that one series]] he was starring in at the time.
29	* ''Film/TheExpendables'':
30	** In order to accommodate the larger roles of Willis and Schwarzenegger, and the additional roles for Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Nan Yu and Liam Hemsworth, a lot of the returning Expendables got the shaft in the [[Film/TheExpendables2 first sequel]]. In particular, Yin Yang [[PutOnABus after the first ten minutes]] due to [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Jet Li filming another movie in China]] and Toll Road barely has any lines in the entire film. Yang made up for it by giving us Creator/JetLi's specialty before he left: a OneManArmy GoodOldFisticuffs beatdown for a good five minutes.
31	** This also occurs in the [[Film/TheExpendables3 third film]], as a result of Doc, Galgo, the new Expendables, Trench, [[spoiler:Drummer and Yang]] all taking part in the final battle. [[spoiler:Hale is nearly killed]] during the second mission and incapacitated until the last scene, while Toll Road and several others get next-to-no dialogue for most of the film.
32	** In the [[Film/Expend4bles fourth film]], Barney has a smaller role [[spoiler:due to him being presumed dead after his plane was shot down by [[TheHeavy Rahmat]] during the battle in Libya.]]
33	* Caroline's role in ''[[Film/TheExterminator The Exterminator II]]'' was greatly reduced from the original script.
34	* In the sixth installment of ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' series, Mia's role is downgraded so she can look after her and Brian's son. She only makes a few appearances early on [[spoiler: and then isn't involved again until the climax when [[BigBad Owen Shaw]] [[IHaveYourWife takes her hostage]].]]
35	%%Needs context about their previous roles* Cynthia's husband and his new wife have basically one scene in ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub''.
36	%%Needs context about her previous role* Only a few minutes of ''Film/GameraVsBarugon'' contain actual Gamera. This did ''not'' go unnoticed by [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Joel and the bots]].
37	%%* ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'':
38	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Cover Girl to the point where many people didn't even realize who she was supposed to be.
39	%%Needs context about how this affects his role size** Doctor Mindbender was more of an inversion. The character was never intended to have a name, and was only there as a plot device for The Doctor's path to darkness. After the fact, they realized he could easily be Mindbender and threw his name in for the fans.
40	%%Needs context about their previous role*** In ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' [[spoiler: Duke]] [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome gets killed off early.]]
41	* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
42	** An adaptational case with [[Characters/GodzillaNotableHumans Emiko Yamane]]. In ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters1956'', her role is significantly downplayed whereas in the original film, she's the reason why Godzilla is dead. In context, the original film has her devastated by the destruction of Tokyo and being surrounded by orphans that she went out of her way to reveal the Oxygen Destroyer. And Serizawa, by his own admission, chose to use it after seeing the destruction Godzilla caused. The recut downplayed this by having Ogata and Emiko tell Martin of the Oxygen Destroyer, and Ogata and Serizawa did most of the talking.
43	** ''Film/InvasionOfAstroMonster'': Once Godzilla and Rodan "defeats" King Ghidorah, they don't appear until the final act of the film. Even King Ghidorah's role was reduced to show how much of a "threat" he is to the Xilians.
44	** [[Characters/{{Godzilla}} Varan]]. After starring in his own film, he had a few, extremely brief, appearances in ''Destroy All Monsters'' equalling about ten seconds total, and has not appeared in a movie since.[[note]][[WhatCouldHaveBeen He was originally intended]] to star in ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'', but was replaced by Ghidorah due to ExecutiveMeddling (because Toho wanted to play it safer with a more popular kaiju).[[/note]]
45	* Laurie Strode (Creator/JamieLeeCurtis) was the main character of ''[[Film/{{Halloween1978}} Halloween]]'', but only has about 10 minutes of screen time in the [[Film/HalloweenII1981 sequel]], despite sharing top billing with Donald Pleasance. Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) also only appears in two scenes, despite his larger role in the previous film. He still receives third billing. Likewise, Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes)'s major role in the first film was reduced to a mere cameo in the second ([[spoiler: as a dead body]]). The rest of the franchise was filled with several cases of SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome.
46	* Rico and Oliver, major characters in the television show, were reduced to a few lines at the beginning of the ''Series/HannahMontana'' movie.
47	* ''Film/HarryPotter'':
48	** Percy Weasley. He wasn't all that big a player in the books, usually being involved in the side-plots, but his estrangement from his family was a poignant reminder of what Dumbledore always said about Voldemort's gift for dividing loyalties. After the third movie, his only appearances consist of non-speaking cameos in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' and ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows Part 2]]''. Unless you watch the backgrounds, you wouldn't even notice he's there and is apparently still going through his book plotline, albeit almost entirely off-screen.
49	** Kingsley Shacklebolt and Phineas Black's portrait play larger roles and have more screentime in the book version of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' than they do in the movie version.
50	** Mundungus Fletcher had a few minor roles in the books, but was completely ignored in the films until ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows Part 1]]'', when he was required for the plot. Resulted in a bit of a shoehorning. Kreacher likewise had his role downplayed greatly, and since his introduction, got barely a cameo in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows Part 1]]''. Both were still little more than extras for much of the series anyway, but it's even more JustForFun/{{egregious}} in the films.
51	** The Dursleys get this after ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. Their role in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' is drastically cut, their appearance in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows Part 1]]'' is essentially a cameo, and they don't appear in the other films at all.
52	** Draco Malfoy is a far less prominent character in the movies than he is in the books, with only a little over half an hour’s worth of screen time.
53	** Zacharias Smith frequently butts heads with Harry in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix OoTP]]'' and is strongly characterized as an insulting and rude character. In the movie however, he only has about one line and is never seen doing anything other than being a background member of Dumbledore's Army.
54	%%Needs context about her previous role** Tonks sadly doesn't do much in any of the four films she appears in.
55	%%Needs context about their previous roles** Up until ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', Charlie was mentioned a couple of times in the first film and Bill wasn't mentioned in the films at all. Bill and Charlie's only actual appearances in the first six films were in the photo of the Weasley family in Egypt, which was onscreen for about a second.
56	* Although they are some of the most prominent characters in the ride, taking up two vignettes, the Hitchhiking Ghosts only appear in a brief cameo in the 2003 film of ''Film/{{The Haunted Mansion\|2003}}''.
57	* A Real-life example with ''Film/TheHelp''. Despite the marketing of the film being built around Creator/EmmaStone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer got all the recognition for the movie, leaving Stone in the dust.
58	* ''Film/TheHobbit'':
59	** In the "Appendices", Dáin played a major role in the Battle of Azanulbizar; the Iron Hills Dwarves turned the tide of the battle, and Dáin himself killed Azog to avenge his father. Dáin's role was scaled and the decision was made to keep Azog alive in the movie trilogy.
60	** Bilbo himself. The first two films center around his involvement in helping the Dwarves of Erebor reclaim the mountain from Smaug. Once Smaug is killed in [[Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies Battle of the Five Armies]], he gets a few scenes here and there, but much of the film is centered on the eponymous battle and Thorin's inner struggles.
61	** Smaug in the third film. Justified in that he gets killed by Bard about twelve minutes into the film, and only reappears in flashback sequences.
62	* While Amy was one of the main characters in ''Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids'', in the sequel ''Film/HoneyIBlewUpTheKid'' she only appears at the very beginning before taking off for college. The reason was the film wasn't originally supposed to be a sequel to HISTK. When the movie became a success, it was quickly reworked into one, but the original treatment didn't have roles for either Nick or Amy to fit into. Although Nick ultimately managed to still get a decent part, there really wasn't any room for her.
63	* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': Many characters have smaller roles in the movies than in the books.
64	** District 4 isn't even mentioned as a Career district, and [[spoiler:the girl is simply killed in the Cornucopia instead of joining the Career "pack".]]
65	** Venia, Octavia, and Flavius. They show up, but their names aren't mentioned and they only have a brief appearance. They have a bit more to do in ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire''.
66	** Greasy Sae doesn't have as much of a role. However, she gives Katniss the Mockingjay pin, instead of [[AdaptedOut Madge]].
67	** Portia. While never that major of a character, in the film she is only seen in the background, with no lines.
68	** ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'':
69	*** Not that Cray has major role in the book, but the film reduces his appearance to a single scene.
70	*** While Blight never really was important to the story, his onscreen appearance in the film is only in the interviews, and later in a passing mention by Johanna.
71	*** Ceelia and Woof. Katniss never talks to them in the training center, nor are they mentioned when Haymitch introduces the tributes to them or the bloodbath, only being seen at the interviews and the tribute parade in the film.
72	*** Seeder is only in one scene in the film, and she doesn't inform Katniss about Rue's family.
73	** Lavinia. In both films. In the [[Film/TheHungerGames first film]], she shows up in a single scene in the background. Happens again in ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire Catching Fire]]'', where she is [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140323224423/thehungergames/images/2/23/AvoxCatchingFire.jpg wearing a face mask and white clothing behind Peeta.]]
74	** ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart1''
75	*** Johanna only appears for a few seconds, having spent the movie being tortured in the Capitol off-screen. Fittingly, her part in the book wasn't really expanded on until the events that take place in the chapters associated with Part 2. Promotional material and videos seemed to indicate it was going to undergo AdaptationExpansion but it was ultimately kept just like in the books.
76	*** Finnick. Most of his character moments are cut or passed on to others (the "kiss you, kill you, or be you" line was originally his, not Effie's), and his big moment of plot relevance, [[spoiler:when he tells the story of his own forced prostitution and Snow's rise to power]], is massively downplayed. While it was a huge character-defining moment in the book, causing Katniss to completely rethink her opinion of Finnick and was given the full focus of the narrative, in the movie, it's going on in the background as Katniss and the camera focus on the rebels' mission.
77	*** In terms of going from the book to the film, Plutarch's role is [[DownplayedTrope slightly downplayed]] due to the death of his actor - some scenes where he delivered important lines were re-shuffled to other characters.
78	*** {{Averted\|Trope}} with Effie, for whom this trope was true in the book (she appeared in only one scene near the end), but who still plays a major part in the movies.
79	** ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart2'':
80	*** Effie Trinket, while having substantial roles in the previous films, appears mainly at the denouement in this film and also has a brief cameo during Finnick and Annie's wedding [[note]]Effie is more of a supporting character in the books and doesn't sympathize with Katniss and Peeta that much. However, the filmmakers upgraded her to a main character in the films, hence why her sparse appearance in this is quite jarring[[/note]].
81	*** [[spoiler:Caesar Flickerman]] shows up for about two and a half minutes, compared to his [[ChewingTheScenery large appearance]] in the previous films. However, that's still better than in the book, where [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse he doesn't appear at all]].
82	*** Johanna as well, due to a large portion involving her and Katniss training getting cut, leaving little else for her to do.
83	* To many fans' chagrin, this occurred to ''Penny and Brain'' in ''Film/InspectorGadget1999''. Instead of being in the forefront of the film to help solve to crimes at hand like they were in the [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget cartoon series]], both were more or less seen in the background and barely given any lines while the titular inspector and a [[CanonImmigrant new character]] in the form of Gadget's love interest, Brenda, are the heroes of the film and get most of the dialogue.
84	* The Mysterious Man ([[spoiler:the Baker's father]]) played a large part in Act One of ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', but only appears twice in [[Film/IntoTheWoods the movie]].
85	%%* Dr. Kemp in ''Film/TheInvisibleMan1933''.
86	* ''Film/JamesBond'':
87	** Sylvia Trench (Creator/EuniceGayson) lost considerable screentime from ''Film/DrNo'' to ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''. In the former she actually introduced the iconic TheNameIsBondJamesBond trope for Bond to use during a scene at TheCasino, then went to Bond's room to seduce him. In the latter, she's merely having a romantic picnic with Bond that's [[MomentKiller cut short]] by his hierarchy calling him for his new mission.
88	** Moneypenny (Creator/CarolineBliss) has only a very short scene in ''Film/LicenceToKill'' compared to ''Film/TheLivingDaylights''. What's worse, she doesn't interact with Bond in it, she simply calls to send Q to help Bond in Isthmus.
89	* Most of the animal characters in ''Film/{{The Jungle Book\|1994}}'', while the movie focus more on Mowgli's interaction with other humans.
90	* Jeri Ryan originally had a supporting role in ''Film/{{The Kid\|2000}}'' as one of Russ' clients, and there would have been a minor RomanticPlotTumor later in the film involving her character, where she starts hitting on Russ, and making Amy jealous. In the final cut however, Ryan's role was obliterated completely, and now she only has a small cameo on Russ' television being interviewed.
91	* ''Film/{{Lantana}}'', based on the play ''Theatre/SpeakingInTongues'', reduces the roles of Neil Toohey and Sarah Phelan. The former only appears briefly as the unnamed jogger who Leon [[WatchWhereYoureGoing runs into]] and again towards the end (unlike Neil, he is not DrivenToSuicide but actually gets one of the happier endings). Sarah is [[GenderFlip replaced by a gay male character]] named Patrick Phelan, who does have scenes with Valerie adapted from the play but is ultimately a RedHerring for both Valerie's disappearance and for her husband's infidelity (in contrast to Sarah, who ''was'' having an affair with John).
92	* ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' naturally has this by virtue of trying to condense twenty episodes into two hours.
93	** Momo shows up long enough to be introduced, then occasionally shows up in the background a couple times. You could be forgiven for not believing him to have followed Aang after the introduction.
94	** Appa was also demoted. He doesn't get a lot of screen time and is more of a mode of transportation than an actual character.
95	** Katara and Sokka. Neither of them get many scenes in the spotlight, nor do anything of much importance, compared to their TV show counterparts. It doesn't help that many of Katara's strong scenes are either given to Aang or cut entirely. At least Sokka gets his girlfriend.
96	** Jet, a major charcter in the show, is the small boy Zuko calls over to regale the story of the banished prince.
97	** There's also Avatar Roku, who was a major player in the Avatar's quest in the show. In the movie, with the exception of a brief mention, he's completely removed and his mentor role to Aang is handled by a dragon...for some reason.
98	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Haru and Tyro... ahem, Earthbending Boy and his father.
99	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Athena, Vincent and Petie in ''[[Literature/TheLastDon The Last Don II]]''.
100	* The 1929 film of ''Film/TheLetter'' starts off with some establishing scenes in which Hammond, Leslie's lover, receives the letter and goes to Leslie's house. He breaks up with her, and she shoots him. The 1940 film deletes these scenes and opens with Leslie emptying a revolver into Hammond. In this version the actor playing Hammond does not have any dialogue.
101	* Hakan and the alcoholics in ''Literature/LetTheRightOneIn'' have significantly reduced roles in the film adaptation. They are removed entirely from the American version.
102	* ''Film/TheLittleRascals'':
103	** Typically happened whenever a once popular cast member started to outgrow their roles.
104	** Wheezer's role was reduced when Spanky [=McFarland=] and Dickie Moore were added to the cast. He is practically unnoticeable in his last episode.
105	** Stymie has very little to do in his last few appearances, only getting one line in his last two episodes.
106	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Buckwheat in the MGM shorts.
107	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Elizabeth March aka Beth, the DelicateAndSickly dead little sister, in TheFilmOfTheBook ''Literature/LittleWomen'', played by Claire Danes.
108	* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy:
109	** A big casualty of this was Éomer, who was built up to be almost a SixthRanger to the trio of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in the book of ''The Two Towers''. He was offscreen for much of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'' movie as his role was merged with a minor commander who leads TheCavalry rescue at the fortress of Helm's Deep. Conversely, his sister Éowyn takes the almost-Sixth Ranger role since she also goes to Helm's Deep instead of leading civilians to another fortress. Their uncle King Théoden also takes his memorable lines and moments in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'' and ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]''.
110	** Also, Imrahil. In the books he's an important Gondorian commander and is the Acting Steward of Gondor while Faramir is healing. In the films he's shown a couple of times and it's not really made clear who he is.
111	** Glorfindel. In the novels he helps Aragorn and the hobbits fight off some Nazgul and ends up transporting a gravely injured Frodo to Rivendell, where he is briefly considered as a member of the fellowship. In the films, his role of transporting Frodo is given to Arwen, and he appears in only a few scenes with no lines.
112	* Tim and Lex, now much older, only get cameos and are not mentioned again in ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark''. The ''Velociraptors'' also get presented as dangerous obstacles as opposed to main antagonists like in the [[Film/JurassicPark previous film]].
113	* Professor James Arnold has a much smaller role in ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' than in [[ComicBook/TheSecretService the comics]], in which he served as the Big Bad. The film gives his Evil Plan and main villain status to Richmond Valentine.
114	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Ruana Singh for sure in ''Film/TheLovelyBones''.
115	* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'':
116	** The three fairies--major characters of [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty the original]] and part of the driving force of the plot--are reduced to about four or five scenes, all of which involve them being incompetent. They don't even get to soften the curse--Maleficent does that herself as a cruel HopeSpot.
117	** Prince Phillip suffers this as well. In the original, he was a BadassPrince who took up the entire second half of the movie. In this film, he gets two scenes and has none of his badassery in either of them.
118	* ''Film/MissFisherAndTheCryptOfTears'': Of the regulars from ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'', Phryne, Jack and Aunt Prudence have major roles in TheMovie. However, Dotty, Hugh, Bert and Cec only appear in one scene, which explains why Dotty doesn't travel to London to attend Phyrne's funeral. Cec doesn't even get any lines. Mr. Butler does not appear at all.
119	* In an in-universe example, this happens to a character in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire''. Early in the movie, Mr. Sprinkles is the star of a children's show. At the end of the movie, he's replaced by Mrs. Doubtfire and is demoted to Mr. Mailman, a minor character.
120	* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
121	** [[Characters/MonsterVerseSkullIslandKaijuAndOtherCreatures Skullcrawlers]] were the BigBad of ''Film/KongSkullIsland''. In ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', some Skullcrawler eggs and an enormous adult Skullcrawler appear briefly, but their plot relevance is otherwise nil aside from being a CallBack and being used as [[TheWorfEffect cannon fodder to show how powerful Mechagodzilla is]].
122	** [[Characters/MonsterVerseSkullIslandExpedition Dr. Brooks]]. After being one of the main cast in ''Film/KongSkullIsland'', he only makes minor appearances in the graphic novel ''Skull Island: The Birth of Kong'' and ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'', until ''Kingdom Kong'' once more grants him a more significant if non-action role.
123	** [[Characters/MonsterVerseRussellFamily Mark Russell]] was one of the main protagonists of ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''. In ''Godzilla vs. Kong'', he makes only sporadic appearances throughout with no real contribution to the plot, while Madison takes up more of the protagonist role in his place.
124	** [[Characters/MonsterVerseUSGovernmentAndMilitary Admiral William Stenz]] is a significant character in ''Film/Godzilla2014'', as the military officer placed in charge of the {{Kaiju}} crisis once the male MUTO escapes Janjira and corresponding with Drs. Serizawa and Graham throughout the film to that extent. In ''King of the Monsters'', he only has three or four scenes.
125	* Gus, the security guard's role as a Urban Explorer in ''Literature/PaperTowns'' is cut from the film adaptation leaving his role in [[Film/PaperTowns the film]] to just a quick scene.
126	* Done purposefully by the filmmakers and fandom of the ''Film/PoliceStory''/''Film/{{Supercop}}'' movies (combinations of SequelFirst and MarketBasedTitle confuse the nomenclature.) Creator/JackieChan was the original star but one sequel (called ''[=Supercop=]'' in North America) featured Creator/MichelleYeoh as a supporting character. She was so popular that the next movie (''Film/Supercop2'' in North America) featured her as the star, with Chan's character appearing only in a humorous cameo.
127	* In the film of ''Film/QueenOfTheDamned'', Armand has two lines in total, and isn't even named as himself except by WordOfGod, though in the book he was a major player. Much of this is probably because Daniel Molloy was AdaptedOut, and Armand's plot mostly revolved around Daniel.
128	* ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'', based loosely off of [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil the video game series]] of the same name, end up doing this to most canon characters in favor of their own. At best, they end up as sidekicks (Jill Valentine is still a semi-main character in ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse'') and at worst, they're truly reduced to extras ({{Badass Normal}}s Carlos and Nicholai each [[DroppedABridgeOnHim get a bridge dropped on them]], in the case of the latter with absolutely no fanfare).
129	* In the ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds'' films, Gilbert Lowe is a protagonist of the first movie, a supporting character in the second (he is unable to go to Florida, as he broke his leg ''while playing chess''), makes a cameo in the third, and is entirely absent from the fourth (despite the fact that the movie is about one of his friends getting married).
130	%%Needs context to differentiate from AscendedExtra* Kenzo Yoshino has one scene cameo in the 1998 film of ''Film/TheRing'', but gained a supporting role in the retconned ''Rasen''.
131	* Ann Lewis from ''Film/RoboCop3''. Her actress, Nancy Allen, reportedly noticed how ''Robocop'' was becoming a CashCowFranchise, and thus wouldn't sign on until they promised to [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome kill her character off.]]
132	* ''Film/{{Rosaline}}'': Benvolio and Mercutio get only a couple of lines apiece, unlike [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet the original play]] where they have a lot of stage time due to being Romeo's close friends.
133	* Sandy West gets a sizeable character introduction but then does hardly anything else in ''Film/TheRunaways''. This was enforced with Lita Ford, who refused to sign over her life story rights to the filmmakers.
134	* In ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', Kim Pine, compared to her more involved role in the books (mostly because her backstory has been moved to the Creator/AdultSwim AnimatedAdaptation). Envy Adams gets quite a bit cut out as well, since her fight with Ramona is cut and is compacted into Ramona's fight with Roxy Richter. She is completely absent in the climax and her role is merged with Ramona's. Richter herself gets quite a bit cut out; she almost got a complete axing when Edgar Wright considered depositing Envy into her role as Ramona's 4th ex. Nega-Scott gets the axe from playing a pivotal role in the books to being reduced to a mere punchline in the movie. Lynette Guycott although having a minor but pivotal role gets barely minutes of screen time, and her punching the highlights out of Knives' hair was designated to Todd. Finally the Twins are almost cut out entirely, as they have zero lines (their actors don't speak English), zero backstory, and probably the least screen-time of any of the exes, only seemingly being in the movie because they are exes number 5 and 6 respectively.
135	* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' the characters of Book and Inara are set up as not living on the ship anymore. Shepherd Book is an odd example as he's only in two scenes in the entire movie ([[spoiler:the second of which kills him off]]), less than any of the other main characters from the series. However, they're both [[OneSceneWonder really good scenes]] that play a major part in shaping [[TheHero Mal's]] own story arc as well as shedding some light on the film's villain, so despite his limited screentime he ends up being one of the more important characters.
136	* Inspector Lestrade gets hit by this in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows''. He may not have been one of the most central characters in the first, but he still had a decent amount of scenes and relevance to the plot. In the second movie, he is entirely left out, only briefly appearing at the end with few lines. His sergeant gets about the same amount of screentime, though he had a number of scenes in the original film as well. This is partly justified due to the SequelGoesForeign and most of the story took place outside of England, so Scotland Yard and its members won't be playing a large role until the plot briefly returns to it in the climax. A straighter example would be Irene Adler, who's actually one of the main characters in the first film and played a large role in the plot. [[spoiler: She was [[BackForTheDead killed minutes]] [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome into the sequel]] by Moriarty to demonstrate that the stakes are higher.]]
137	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Douglas Cartland in ''Film/SilentHillRevelation3D''.
138	* Almost all of Creator/RosannaArquette's scenes in ''Film/{{Silverado}}'' now reside on the Columbia cuttingroom floor [[spoiler: thus failing to explain how she goes from Emmitt to Paden in the course of the movie]].
139	* Extra might be going a little far, but Brom's role as Ichabod's rival is massively downplayed in ''Film/SleepyHollow1999''. He's only in a handful of scenes, not really a threat to Ichabod and Katrina, [[spoiler:and dies halfway through]].
140	* The fate of Hefty Smurf in ''Film/TheSmurfs'', who went from being one of the main characters in [[Comicbook/TheSmurfs the comic books]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs cartoon show]] and [[VideoGame/TheSmurfs1994 video game]] to showing up only in a few scenes, replaced by Gutsy Smurf as TheBigGuy because he wasn't macho (or [[BraveScot Scottish]]) enough.
141	** The same fate also befell Gutsy in ''Film/TheSmurfs2''.
142	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Chris Hughes in ''Film/TheSocialNetwork''. To a lesser extent Dustin Moskovitz.
143	* In "Stand by Me," Gordie narrates, "As time went on, we saw less and less of Teddy and Vern, until eventually, they became just two more faces in the halls. It happens sometimes: friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant."
144	* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films.
145	** Saavik, who was a major character in ''[[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan The Wrath of Khan]]'' and ''[[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock The Search for Spock]]'', made a brief appearance in only one scene in ''[[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome The Voyage Home]]'', and then was never seen again. She was intended for a major role in ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]'', but between casting difficulties and objections by Gene Roddenberry over [[spoiler:an established character becoming a traitor]], her name was simply [[{{Expy}} used as a placeholder]] for Kim Catrall's character, Valeris.
146	** Captain Klaa, one of the major antagonists from ''[[Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier The Final Frontier]]'' (he was the one who tried to engage Captain Kirk and the ''Enterprise'' in battle when his ''actual'' mission was to rescue the Klingon ambassador being held hostage), according to WordOfGod, was [[ReassignedToAntarctica literally]] demoted to extra in ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]''. In the latter movie, he is a court translator who is not even named in the credits.[[note]]Out-of-universe, they realised that they hired the same actor from last film and decided to ThrowItIn.[[/note]]
147	%%Needs context about their previous roles** Pretty much everyone in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' except Picard and Data, but particularly egregious for Geordi, Dr. Crusher and Worf. All three do get additional scenes in the novelization, though. Even Riker, Picard's first officer, has much less of an onscreen presence than Data. That could be because Jonathan Frakes was so heavily involved behind the scenes of the movies, directing two of them. It unfortunately wasn't unprecedented. [[StrictlyFormula All the TNG movies]] [[SpotlightStealingSquad focused heavily upon Picard and Data]], with the rest of the crew, especially Dr. Crusher, largely pushed into the background.
148	%%Needs context about his previous role** [=McCoy=] in the second film of the Creator/JJAbrams reboot. This proved so contentious that the third film paid much more attention to the [=McCoy=]/Spock [[VitriolicBestBuds dynamic]].
149	%%Needs context about her previous role** Uhura, for most of ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''. Mind you, her big scene in the transporter room is [[Awesome/StarTrekIIITheSearchforSpock pretty awesome]], but there is literally no reason for it ending with her being left behind other than that they didn't need her character for the rest of the film. The previous film, when everyone beams from Regula I to the caves inside Regula while leaving no one behind, shows that transporters can be operated on a time delay. This very film later also shows this, as none of the ''Enterprise'' crew remain behind when they beam off (while simultaneously beaming the Klingons aboard) before ''Enterprise's'' self-destruct. So there is ''no'' reason Uhura couldn't have put a short time delay on the transporter and joined everyone else on their mission to Genesis. (Fortunately, [[TheBusCameBack The Bus Comes Back]] just before the end of this film, so that she can be along for [[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome the next one]].) The film's novelization gives Uhura a little more to do, as she scrambles Starfleet's communication channels during the ''Enterprise'' theft, and then joins Sarek in convincing the Vulcan government to pre-emptively grant Kirk and crew asylum there, instead of just handing them over to Starfleet authorities when they arrive.
150	%%Needs context about his previous role** In ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry The Undiscovered Country]]'', Sulu is the captain of another Star Ship, and, while he is shown in this position a few times during the movie, filmed separately from everyone else, he has no part in the story until the last 10 minutes, when the Excelsior comes to the rescue. He is only briefly in the same room as the rest of the cast, and even then it is doubtful if he was filmed alongside them.
151	%%Needs context about her previous role** Beverly Crusher in ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', as she barely did anything in the movie.
152	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
153	** Jar Jar Binks. Clearly set up in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' as a Chewbacca for the prequels, he gets only a cursory nod in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and a silent appearance in a group shot in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''. This was no doubt a result of [[TheScrappy fan backlash against the character]].
154	** In the original cut of ''Film/ANewHope'', Biggs Darklighter ([[http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/2/20/Biggs.jpg this]] X-wing pilot) had a much more prominent role. He's actually Luke's best friend from Tatooine who left to join the Imperial Navy, but the scenes where we learn this were deleted. In one scene, Luke meets him while on shore leave and he confesses that he's defecting to the Rebellion. In another, he and Luke get an emotional reunion before the attack on the Death Star, which makes his death in the battle a lot more tragic. The special edition restored his reunion scene with Luke, but left out the early scenes where we learn who he is.
155	** Early versions of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' had a much larger part for the Death Star's commander, Moff Jerjerrod. In the shooting script, Jerjerrod is a high-ranking technocrat, taking orders directly from [[BigBad The Emperor]] behind [[TheDragon Darth Vader's]] back. Jerjerrod butts heads with Vader over [[TheHero Luke Skywalker's]] capture and even has the guts to deny Vader passage into Emperor's Throne Room, leading Vader to strangle him near to death. Late, he reluctantly accepts orders from The Emperor to fire the Death Star on the Endor moon despite many Imperials still present there and even gives the order shortly before the station is destroyed. In the final cut, his biggest scene is greeting Vader's shuttle in the opening.
156	** In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', [[spoiler:Luke, the protagonist of the original trilogy, only appears in the very last scene and has no dialogue, [[ChekhovMIA with his disappearance being one of the key plot points.]]]]
157	** Rose Tico, introduced in ''Film/TheLastJedi'' as a fairly prominent character and even LoveInterest of Finn, is reduced to a background character at best in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' and gets maybe three lines at most, zero relevance in the plot, one brief scene during the final firefight, and absolutely no mention whatsoever of her and Finn's romantic interest in one another. [[AuthorsSavingThrow This was in response]] to her [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive at best character]].
158	** Finn was somewhere between protagonist and deuteragonist in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', being the character who largely kicks off the plot and drives most of the story. In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', his actions are mostly confined to a single subplot and he ends up having very little impact on the outcome of the narrative, but he still gets an arc to himself. By ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', aside from a brief scene of him meeting other deserters, he's largely irrelevant and does little more than follow the other characters around and get involved in the occasional action scene, something even Creator/JohnBoyega [[CreatorBacklash claimed to not be fond of.]]
159	%%Needs context about his previous role** C-3PO gets next to no scenes of importance in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', which he [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] by stating how helpless he feels regarding everything going on around him.
160	* The fate of Mr. Utterson from ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', due to most every adaptation centering on Jekyll from the start rather that Utterson investigating a mystery, as the novel did. In [[Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde1920 the 1920 film]] he pops up towards the end as one of Jekyll's friends, in [[Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde1931 the 1931 film]] he is an extra, and in the 1941 film he's completely omitted.
161	* In ''Film/StreetFighter'', Ryu and Ken go from co-protagonists to ThoseTwoGuys.
162	%%Needs context about their previous roles.** Cammy, T. Hawk, and Captain Sawada have very little screen time.
163	* Jerry Killian is a very minor character in the book of ''Film/{{Striptease}}'', but his screen time in the movie is still reduced. The same happens to Joyce Mizner, who is barely there before she bites it (although Joyce is really only there as the fiancée of the man Dilbeck attacks).
164	* Toei's {{Tokusatsu}} CrossOver film series ''Super Hero Taisen'' did this to the Franchise/SuperSentai over time, giving Franchise/KamenRider far more prominence.
165	** [[Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiSuperHeroTaisen The original film]] had fairly equal representation, giving prominent roles to heroes from both franchises and having '''''all of them''''' appear for the FinalBattle in a sequence so big it actually won a [[Literature/GuinnessWorldRecords Guinness World Record]]. ''[[Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiXSpaceSheriffSuperHeroTaisenZ Super Hero Taisen Z]]'' was still fairly balanced even with the addition of the [[Series/MetalHeroes Space Sheriffs]], but the downhill slide started after this. Ironically, ''Z'' could be seen the other way around, since Series/KamenRiderWizard sits out for most of the movie after declaring it "Not my problem", only to come roaring back in for the final battle.
166	** The next film in the series is ''Film/HeiseiRiderVsShowaRiderKamenRiderWarsFeaturingSuperSentai''; as the name implies, most of the focus was on the conflict between the two eras of Riders, with only the [[Series/ResshaSentaiToQger ToQgers]] and [[Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger Kyoryu Red]] putting in a token cameo.
167	** Likewise ''Film/SuperHeroTaisenGPKamenRider3'', which focused more on ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' (and moreso [[OriginalGeneration Kamen Rider #3]], with only the [[Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger Ninningers]] appearing.
168	** ''[[Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiChouSuperHeroTaisen Chou Super Hero Taisen]]'' is a little better about this, but it's still mostly a ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' movie with a few cameos thrown in; the [[Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger Kyurangers]] show up at the start, disappear for most of the movie, and then return for the final battle. On the other hand, several Sentai actors return for cameo appearances, they all help drive the plot, and Hebitsukai Silver in particular plays a major role since his status as a TinMan lets him connect with the EmotionlessBoy VictimOfTheWeek.
169	* Much of the ''ComicBook/TamaraDrewe'' graphic novel is told from the perspective of Beth, Nicholas's wife, but in the movie she's more of a supporting character.
170	* John's co-workers Alix and Tanya's sideplot is omitted from ''Film/{{Ted}}'''s final cut.
171	* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'':
172	** [[DarkActionGirl Karai]] finally transitions from the comics to live-action, but her role is much less prominent than in other versions like the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003]] and [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012]] shows.
173	** The same is true for Baxter Stockman (also his first appearance in a live-action Turtles film).
174	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Anyone who isn't Christie, Steve, or part of the Mishima bloodline in ''Film/Tekken2010''.
175	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Miriam and Aaron in ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956''.
176	* Jeannette, who plays a vital role in the book, appears for a split second in the boardroom at the opening of ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'' and has no dialogue. Reitman takes the time to point her out for fans of the book during the commentary.
177	* Adrien Brody in ''Film/TheThinRedLine''. He was originally cast as the lead character and received second billing (though it was in alphabetical order except Sean Penn who was listed first) but only has a very brief and almost mute role in the released cut of the film. Brody learned about these changes from the original script ''at the premiere,'' '''after''' he'd already been doing press interviews about his lead role.
178	* All of the Hamiltons except for Francis have considerably smaller roles this time around in ''Film/TheThompsons''.
179	%%Needs context about her previous role* Constance has hardly any screentime in ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers\|1993}}'', and basically only exists to [[spoiler:throw D'Artagnan his sword at the end.]]
180	* Horseflesh had a big role in the script for ''Film/TimeBandits'', but his lines were removed and he's just more of a background character.
181	%%Needs context about her previous role* Fawn, who does not even merit an introduction in the film version of ''Film/TinkerTailorSoldierSpy''.
182	* Remember that blonde chick who dances with Fabrizio in third-class in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''? She was written as an opposite counterpart to Rose, a girl who finds her love interest in her class and follows her strict parents' orders without question (down to refusing to go with Fabrizio once the ship begins to sink, despite the fact that he knows the way to the lifeboats better). [[spoiler: She's also the blonde girl who hangs on the railing before falling to her death]]. The film's script identifies her as Helga Dahl (a name she indeed responds to in deleted scenes). The bulk of her scenes in the movie were cut, so it's likely only the most die-hard fans will know anything about her.
183	%%Needs more context about the size of his role in the book. TheSmartGuy and HufflepuffHouse aren't mutually exclusive.* Dez in ''Film/TheTown'', who is TheSmartGuy in the book and the HufflepuffHouse of Doug's crew in the movie.
184	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Gav Temperley in the film of ''Film/{{Trainspotting}}''.
185	* ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'':
186	** Ratchet is a major character in the first movie, but unlike Bumblebee or Ironhide, his screentime decreased massively by the second. The third film does try to give him more spotlight, however. [[spoiler:And the fourth film brings him back only to be KilledOffForReal, in a particularly [[CruelAndUnusualDeath brutal fashion]].]]
187	** ''Megatron'' goes from the BigBad in the first film to merely TheDragon in the second. [[spoiler: He is barely on the screen for 5 minutes in the third film, and when he is, he's barely doing much until the very end. Granted, it is justified as he barely survived Prime's attack at the end of the second film, but it's still a bit of a headscratcher to not have one of the most famous bad guys of the franchise doing much more in this film. Even the small Autobots that stuck with Sam in the third film get more screentime/action than Megatron...]] The novelization of the film actually works this into the plot.
188	** ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'': Lennox and Epps had significantly smaller roles.
189	%%Needs context about her previous role*** [[spoiler: In which Arcee [[http://www.agonybooth.com/movies/Transformers__Revenge_of_the_Fallen_2009.aspx?Page=6 gets blown up real good]]. This after much expectation that she would actually do something of note.]]
190	** After having prominent roles in the previous two films, Sam's parents only get three scenes in ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', one of which is a flashback to shortly after the second film's events.
191	** Not a huge amount, but Bumblebee has reduced screentime in ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' because Sam isn't in this film. He's still a major character, and seems to bond a little with Shane, but has no more of a role than the other Autobots sans Optimus.
192	%%Needs context about their previous role* Tron, despite being the title character, is under the control of the villain Clu for almost the entirety of ''Film/TRONLegacy'', and only appears a few times with very little dialogue.
193	* Lysander in ''Film/{{Troy}}''. He has just enough dialogue with Hector to indicate that most of his scenes were left on the cutting-room floor.
194	%%Needs context about his previous role* Michael Corvin is definitely is this in ''Film/UnderworldAwakening'', seeing as he is practically non-existent in the film aside from one flashback and a single scene where he's shown encased in ice.
195	* Michael Corvin in ''Film/UnderworldEvolution'' as well, as he's taken out of focus for the better part of the middle-to-latter half of the movie, when he finally pops up again to raise some hell. Though to be fair, he was technically dead for a good part of that.
196	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Tweedledee and Hector in ''Film/TheUnholyThree'', due to Echo being made into an AscendedExtra.
197	* Ammonia, Nausius, and Erotica in ''Film/UpPompeii'' compared to [[Series/UpPompeii the series]] - only Ammonia's actress (Barbara Murray) is given star billing, and even then, Nausius (as small as his role is) is the only one of the three who contributes to the plot in a meaningful way.
198	* Conrad Heyer, the head of The Eye, briefly appears near the beginning of ''Film/VForVendetta'' when Sutler's advisors are assembled, but the subplot about his wife manipulating him into trying to usurp the government is cut.
199	* Bud, the protagonist of ''Film/WallStreet'', appears in exactly one scene in ''Film/WallStreetMoneyNeverSleeps''.
200	* In ''Film/WarCraft2016'', Grommash Hellscream, Kilrogg Deadeye and Kargath Bladefist are present, but mostly as visually-distinct orcs rather than actual characters they were in the adapted material.
201	* ''Film/WentTheDayWell'': Bill the poacher is the main character of the short story the film is based on but is only in three or four scenes of the movie [[spoiler:And suffers from DeathByAdaptation as well.]]
202	%%Needs context about their previous roles* The increased focus on Turtle and Chris in ''Literature/TheWestingGame'' makes this affect all the other heirs to a degree, but Jake Wexler, Doug Hoo, and Dr. Deere in particular don't even get to play the game. The doctor only appears once in the whole movie.
203	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Rawiri in the film of ''Film/WhaleRider''.
204	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Mr. Gloop, Mrs. Salt, Mrs. Beauregarde, and Mr. Teavee in ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''. In the [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 2005 film]], the genders are swapped for the latter two —- in fact, Mr. Beauregarde does not appear at all.
205	%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Aunt Em and the Good Witch of the North in ''Film/TheWitchesOfOz''.
206	* Maleva in ''Film/TheWolfman2010''. She had a much larger role in the original film. Although, Gwen [[AscendedExtra sort of fills her shoes]] as the figure trying to help Lawrence with his curse this time around.

Context DemotedToExtra / LiveActionFilms