What's the largest drop off in screen time for a central character returning for a sequel? (*who wasn't recast or written out entirely)
I saw Mortal Kombat II the other day and was genuinely shocked at how reduced Lewis Tan's role was coming from the first film where he essentially served as the central protagonist the entire previous film. Granted, I think it was a smart move to shift the focus away from his character and make the sequel more about the ensemble - it just took me by surprise because when a franchise/series tends to make that drastic of a shift, the original actor hardly ever returns (see Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation).
The only other significant cases I could come up with where a main character goes from front and center in one movie to virtually nothing in the follow up were:
- Hugh Jackman's Wolverine going from the main character in X-Men, X2 and primary supporting character in X3 only to return in First Class for a bit cameo
- Adrienne King returning as Alice in Friday the 13th Part 2 >!just to be killed off before the opening credits hit!<
- Jamie Lee Curtis returning as Laurie Strode in Halloween Resurrection after starring in H20
I haven't looked up the actual screen time but I'm guessing Hugh Jackman going from X3 to First Class is the biggest drop, but I'm curious if there are any others I'm forgetting? Again, not counting recasting the role (like Patricia Arquette being replaced in Nightmare on Elm Street 4) or characters being written out entirely (like Devon Sawa in Final Destination 2). What's the largest drop-off where the original actor actually reprised the role for a sequel in the most significantly reduced capacity? Bonus points if they actually survive in the reduced role