Line #61 Expy/LiveActionFilms


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13	'''NOTE:''' An actor "playing the same character over and over" is often a comedian playing themselves, or simply someone with a lack of range. Either way, think long and hard about whether they truly qualify for this trope before adding them.
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16	!!The following have their own pages:
17	[[index]]
18	* Expy/TheDCU
19	* Expy/MarvelUniverse
20	[[/index]]
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22	* Bernie Laplante, the main character in ''Film/AccidentalHero'' seems to be an expy of Ratso Rizzo in ''Film/MidnightCowboy'' - both are sleazy, unsuccessful petty con men with a JerkWithAHeartOfGold side. Also an ActorAllusion for ''Hero'', as both characters were played by Creator/DustinHoffman.
23	* The main characters in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension'' are all Expies of Literature/DocSavage and his boys. Likewise, Buckaroo's unseen nemesis, Hanoi Xan, is an Expy of another pulp literary character, Literature/FuManchu.
24	* Cynthia, the Asian stripper and prostitute in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPriscillaQueenOfTheDesert'' has a great deal in common with the Vietnamese prostitute in ''Film/FullMetalJacket'', down to repeating "I perform for you, Me dance too" in place of "Me love you long time. Me so horny!"
25	* ''Film/AxeMurderingWithHackley'': Hackley is clearly meant to be one for [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Vorhees]].
26	** There's also his coworker, Rival, who's obviously Ghostface. He even has posters in his cubicle for "[[Film/{{Scream}} Yell]]".
27	** Then there's the intern Hackley's saddled with mentoring. He's an old man with cancer... and dysentery. He calls himself [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Mitre Saw]].
28	* With Creator/TerryGilliam directing and Creator/MichaelPalin in a supporting role, ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' featured expies of the rest of Creator/MontyPython, all seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B61_5sRoBI&feature=fvwrel here]]:
29	** Sam (Jonathan Pryce), the naive, bemused protagonist => Creator/GrahamChapman
30	** Harry (Creator/RobertDeNiro), the GentlemanThief [[LaResistance resistance fighter]] => Creator/JohnCleese
31	** Spoor and Dowser (Bob Hoskins and Derrick O'Connor), the bumbling, comic-relief repairmen => Creator/TerryJones and Creator/EricIdle.
32	* Missy of ''Film/BringItOn'' is introduced wearing a fake tattoo before pulling off superhuman athletic prowess. Now given who plays her does this remind you of anyone? No one? Maybe a couple of shout outs with her in it might give a clue...it's [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Faith.]]
33	* ''Film/{{Bushwhacked}}'' was originally conceived as a spinoff from the first two ''Film/HomeAlone'' movies, centering around a now-reformed Marv. They ultimately changed the character's name to Max, but kept his characterization and his backstory as a bungling ex-criminal, and cast the same actor, Creator/DanielStern.
34	* The Filipino superhero Captain Barbell is quite similar to [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], except that he has no lightning power and that his wimpy alter ego has to lift a barbell over his head to transform.
35	* Captain Spratt from ''Film/DoctorInTrouble'' is one to Captain Hogg from ''Film/DoctorAtSea'', as both are short, stout ship's captains with a short temper. The fact that Creator/JamesRobertsonJustice was hoped to play the former after playing the latter only heightens the similarities.
36	* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': Being a fire-themed creature that the heroes of a fantasy adventure encounter whilst traversing an underground city makes Themberchaud the story equivalent of [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing the Balrog]]. His confrontation with them even involves a broken bridge, like the Balrog vs Gandalf.
37	* Creator/GeorgeSanders' ''The Falcon'' was a expy of George Sanders' ''Literature/TheSaint''. Leslie Chatheris even brought suit against Creator/{{RKO}} over the issue.
38	* The ''Film/{{Fantozzi}}'' series of movies was hugely popular in Italy in the 80s, so main actor Paolo Villaggio starred in other comedies as unrelated characters who were Fantozzi in all but name. To be more specific, unlucky, awkward white-collar workers stuck in a job they hated and who wished to escape from their dreary life. This lasted up to the mid-90s.
39	* The character of Han, played by Sung Kang, in the ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast and Furious]]'' films is the same Han (also played by Kang) in the indie film ''Better Luck Tomorrow''.
40	* ''Film/TheFifthElement'':
41	** Korben Dallas is pretty much an expy of Harry Canyon from ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal''.
42	** Chris Tucker's character Ruby Rhod is also an expy of Music/{{Prince}}.
43	* ''Film/TheFlyII'' tells the tale of the SpinOffspring of the lovers from ''Film/TheFly1986''. As such, its protagonists, Martin Brundle and Beth Logan, are ''very'' obvious expies of Seth Brundle and Veronica Quaife respectively, mainly distinguished from their forbears by being in their early 20s rather than 30s due to an AudienceShift towards teens. Martin is just as brilliant and socially awkward as his doomed father was, while Beth is snarky but devoted (and bears a passing resemblance to Veronica physically). Their romantic relationship is similarly intertwined with Martin figuring out how to make his father's telepods functional again, and once he begins mutating, there are a lot of verbal and visual callbacks to similar scenes between Seth and Veronica in the first film ("Help me. Please, help me." is the most obvious). Beth even gets a scene where she tells off Stathis, the third corner of the first film's LoveTriangle. The big difference between the two couples is that [[spoiler: the youngsters get a happy ending]].
44	* Thanks to their powers being too expensive to render on a TV budget, the ''ComicBook/GenerationX'' TV movie replaced Husk and Chamber with two {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s named Buff and Refrax.
45	* The Mutos from ''Film/{{Godzilla\|2014}}'', presumably of the Meganulon and Meganula from ''Film/{{Rodan}}'' and ''Film/GodzillaVsMegaguirus''. Some speculate [[Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah Destoroyah]] as another possible inspiration. They also bear a striking resemblence to the monster from ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}''. Gareth Edwards states he was inspired by the Bugs from ''Franchise/StarshipTroopers'' and the Xenomorphs from ''Franchise/{{ALIEN}}''. The male Muto has often been mistaken for Rodan itself. Some also compare it to the Heisei version of the [[Film/{{Gamera}} Gyaos]]. Its face looks a lot like Orga. Femuto's face closely resembles Burtannus from the [[Creator/DarkHorseComics Dark Horse]] Godzilla series. There's some Gigan there, too. Note the red [[Franchise/BattlestarGalactica Cylon]] eyes and the hook-like appendages.
46	* Heavy Duty from ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' is an expy of Roadblock.
47	** Sgt. Stone seems to be a replacement for professional wrestler Sgt. Slaughter. Oddly, he's not the first Expy of him, with Beachhead having also filled the role. He also aligns with multiple "Lt. Stone" characters in Joe cartoons and comics.
48	* ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'':
49	** In the 1968 Spaghetti Western ''Ace High'', Cacopoulos is obviously an Expy of Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez, both played by Creator/EliWallach, both wearing silver rings on their left hands, and both carrying their guns the same way. Cacopoulos is more mellow, more playful and slightly smarter, but he's still goofy and overzealous.
50	** Max Lozoya from ''Don't Turn the Other Cheek'' is a more blatant take on the character; again slightly smarter, but still rather shady and aggressive, again played by the same actor. He has a few differing quirks, for example he can't swim and HatesBeingTouched on the posterior. He tones down nearly to Caco's level in the last half of the film, however, when he finds that [[spoiler:his sister and nephew are killed]].
51	** Juan in ''Film/AFistfulOfDynamite'' was written as an expansion on the character.
52	** Tae-goo in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadTheWeird'' is another one.
53	** Then there is the character's literary Expies: Apachito in ''A Coffin Full of Dollars'', Bandera in ''Blood for a Dirty Dollar'' and Puchuco in ''The Million Dollar Bloodhunt''.
54	** Let's see: a mysterious, nameless gunslinger; a villain who is nominally working for someone else, but has his own agenda and is way more dangerous than his employer; and a ruthless but sympathetic {{Bandito}}. Now are we talking about ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' or ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest''?
55	* In ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'', one Mogwai looks and acts very similarly to Stripe from ''Film/{{Gremlins\|1984}}''. The music sting, the way the camera zooms in and Gizmo's reaction all make it abundantly clear to everyone including Gizmo that, for all intents and purposes, Stripe has been reborn. (Technically, both characters are brothers, as they both popped out of Gizmo's back after he got wet, and the New Stripe has black and white fur rather than brown and white, and after he becomes a gremlin, he has a reptilian frill rather than a Mohawk. But still undeniably an expy of Stripe.)
56	* The villains in each of the direct sequels to ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' -- Katana in ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening'', and Kane in ''Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer'' -- were pale imitations of the Kurgan, the memorable villain from the original. Kane even had the same deep, rough Dr. Claw voice as the Kurgan. Likewise, the villain from the [[Series/{{Highlander}} TV series]]' pilot "The Gathering", Slan Quince, was also a Kurgan expy.
57	* ''Film/HoldUp'': Lasky, the burly former inmate and tow truck driver with a dark beard who keeps chasing after the gang of {{bank robber\|ry}}s to steal them the money from their last heist. He very much resembles Creator/BudSpencer's characters from TheSeventies and TheEighties.
58	* ''Film/Hostage'': Mars is similar to Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame in a few ways. Both are pyromaniacs who weren't very nice to begin with, but they both develop Yandere-level obsessions with a female character later on, both try to kill said female character when they refuse to reciprocate their feelings, as well as anyone else in their way. They both lose a piece of their clothing at one point, and [[spoiler: die a fiery death]]. Difference is, Mars is a bastard and he knows it, while Frollo convinces himself that he can do no wrong.
59	* The AdventurerArchaeologist protagonists of ''Film/SkyPirates'', ''Film/KingSolomonsMines,'' and the remake of ''Film/TheMummy1999'' are basically clones of Franchise/IndianaJones. That said, Jones himself is an amalgam of [[GenreThrowback any number of characters from adventure movies and novels]] -- including Allen Quatermain, the protagonist of [[Literature/KingSolomonsMines the book]] upon which ''King Solomon's Mines'' [[LostInImitation was based]].
60	* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulKnife2023'': ** Winnie is a FinalGirl version of George Bailey, right down to saving her brother's life and then finding out after her wish that he died because she didn't exist to save him. Lampshaded by Bernie. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted when it's revealed that the key to sending Winnie (and Bernie, since she retains her memory) back to the original timeline is Bernie finding out Henry killed Winnie's father and her getting to kill him back. As Winnie says: she's not George, she's Clarence.]]
61	** Henry Waters, is Henry F. Potter if the latter was a serial killer on top of a greedy capitalist trying to take over the town. He’s even successful in the world where the protagonist is never born.
62	* Creator/WilliamGibson's recurring character Molly Millions was present in the original short story ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', but was replaced with a similar ActionGirl named Jane in the film. The rumor is that this change was made because of some arguments about the film rights for Gibson's novel ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'', in which Molly also appears.
63	* John Wick's Ford Mustang from ''Film/JohnWick'' is nearly identical to "Eleanor," the Mustang from ''Film/GoneInSixtySeconds2000''
64	* Young Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas reminded ''Film/TheLittleRascals'' producer Hal Roach so much of the series' former star Allen "Farina" Hoskins that his character was modeled after Farina's. Right down to the pigtails, ViewerGenderConfusion, and being named after a breakfast cereal.
65	* Sort of a type-casting example with Creator/PaulBettany. He was in a biopic on UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin, and some reviews noted his previous role as Stephen Maturin in film ''Film/MasterAndCommander'' who comes across as somewhat similar to Darwin in his time on the ''Beagle'' (intellectual naturalist on a ship, interacts with giant tortoises at one point).
66	* Creator/DavidLynch wrote ''Film/MulhollandDrive'' as a television pilot, and some believe a potential sequel to ''Series/TwinPeaks''. Lynch enthusiasts argue that the character of Betty/Diane in ''Mulholland Drive'' is an Expy of Audrey Horne on ''Twin Peaks''.
67	* ''Film/TheProfessional'': Léon is Victor from ''Nikita''. [[Creator/JeanReno Same actor]], and they even share an euphemism for their job, "cleaner". Creator/LucBesson has said that they're basically cousins. (In Victor's case it's not a euphemism: his job is cleaning up after killers, not killing like Léon.)
68	* Winston Wolf, "the cleaner" from ''Film/PulpFiction'', is an Expy of the character played by Creator/HarveyKeitel in ''The Point of No Return'' -- which was itself a remake of ''Nikita'', thus tying all of these fellas together.
69	* ''Film/ReadyToRumble'' has three expies:
70	** Jimmy King => Wrestling/RicFlair
71	** Titus Sinclair => Wrestling/EricBischoff
72	** Sal Bandini => Wrestling/LouThesz and Stu Hart
73	* ''Film/RioBravo'': Pat Wheeler, played by Ward Bond. At the time the movie was made, the No. 2 show on television was ''Series/WagonTrain'' starring, Ward Bond. Pat Wheeler rides into town leading a wagon train (naturally!). Bond here is essentially playing a variation on wagon master Major Adams, down to using a variation of his famous "Wagons Ho!" catchphrase (in ''Rio Bravo'', Bond just uses "Ho! to command the wagons). His [[SacrificialLion death scene]] was even filmed using a FakeShemp. The reason? Ward Bond had to return to filming his series! But then again, Bond is awesome in the role, so no one's complaining.
74	* In ''Film/ReturnToOz'', Dorothy's new companions are not quite so different from her first companions from her first visit in Oz. Billina = Toto, Tik-Tok = the TinMan, Jack = the Scarecrow, and the Gump = the Cowardly Lion. It verges into SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute territory, since these characters were also in ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' and ''Ozma of Oz'', which the movie was largely based on.
75	* The fat, gravity manipulating deado from ''Film/{{RIPD}}'' is similar to [[ComicBook/XMen The Blob]].
76	* ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' was based on a boxing match between then-champion Muhammad Ali and nobody Chuck "Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner. Apollo Creed is an Ali Expy, while Rocky himself is a parallel to Wepner. Mason Dixon, the champion at the time of ''Film/RockyBalboa'' is a loose analogue of Mike Tyson.
77	* ''Film/RockNRolla'': Lenny Cole seems to be modeled pretty closely after Jimmy Price from ''Film/LayerCake'', being a coarse, PoliticallyIncorrectVillain whom mingles with legitimate businessmen and has mythical levels of influence over the authorities (such as keeping his men out of prison). More tellingly, like Jimmy, [[spoiler:Lenny's influence comes from favors that he trades the police in exchange for ratting out other criminals whom he has personal beefs with, and he's killed by a loyal subordinate who he betrayed after being exposed.]]
78	* Like the Hager example, Jessica Priest from ''Film/Spawn1997'' was created to replace Chapel, since it turned out his rights were tied to Creator/RobLiefeld's ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'' franchise.
79	* ''Film/SaveYourselves'': The pouffes bear a heavy resemblance to ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''' tribbles, being aliens that look like fluffy balls and serve an antagonistic role in the story. In contrast, however, the pouffes are shown deliberately causing harm to people, unlike the tribbles, which were only a threat due to being ''very'' ExplosiveBreeders.
80	* The majority of the characters in the "unofficial" ''[[Film/TheTerminator Terminator]]'' sequel ''Film/ShockingDark'' are rather transparent rip-offs of those in another Creator/JamesCameron film, ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Among them:
81	** Sara Drumble is basically Ellen Ripley with Sarah Connor's first name, albeit spelled differently.
82	** Samantha is Newt, to the point of sharing many of her lines of dialogue.
83	** Koster is heavily modeled on both Sgt. Apone and Pvt. Vasquez.
84	** Sam Fuller is pretty much Carter Burke, [[Film/{{Alien}} Ash]], and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger's T-800 all rolled into one.
85	** The Tubular Corporation appears to be a combination of Weyland-Yutani and Cyberdyne Systems, and its hostile, mutated biomechanical monsters are based heavily on the Xenomorphs.
86	** Megaforce is effectively this film's version of the United States Colonial Marines, though they operate internationally and appear to be mercenaries rather than an actual military branch.
87	* ''Franchise/StarWars'', a lot of the characters from the Prequel Trilogy are expies of characters from the Original Trilogy (Even if both characters are actually in the original trilogy):
88	** Anakin Skywalker in Episodes II and III is basically an expy of his own son, even though he was also TheDragon in Episodes IV, V, VI and even the end of III.
89	*** Likewise, Padmé is clearly an expy of her daughter.
90	*** Cliegg Lars is a third example of this variant- he is clearly modeled after his son Owen in ''Film/ANewHope''.
91	** Qui-Gon Jinn is TheMentor To Obi-Wan Kenobi, and is an expy of his own apprentice basically.
92	** In the prequel trilogy, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and General Grievous each serve as expies of Darth Vader in that they serve as the top enforcers of Darth Sidious. WordOfGod says the three were used in {{foreshadowing}}, each one being an element of Vader. Maul as TheDragon who enforces the emperor's will, Dooku as a fallen Jedi, and Grievous as a cyborg with breathing problems.
93	** Snoke and Kylo Ren are this to the Emperor and Vader in the original trilogy. Kylo Ren is also a pretty close analogue of [[spoiler: Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus]] from the Legends continuity.
94	** Rey, Finn, and Poe are all expies of Luke Skywalker from the original ''Film/ANewHope''. Rey is the desert native who is destined for greatness, Finn is the everyman who is proficient with both a blaster and lightsaber, and Poe is the AcePilot who [[spoiler: destroys the Empire's superweapon]]. Poe himself is also an expy of Han Solo, sharing much of Han's dry humor and roguish charm.
95	** In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', the original heroes become expies of other characters from the original trilogy. Han, as the old mentor to Rey who [[spoiler:has a paternal relationship with Kylo and is killed by him]] is Obi-Wan; Luke, the wise Jedi master in hiding on a distant world is Yoda; and Leia, as the leader of the regular armed resistance to the First Order, has become Mon Motha.
96	* The ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'' film introduced Megawatti as an obvious expy for Orlando from the series because the actor who played him was too old to reprise the role.
97	* In ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'', Luigi is the brother who has a relationship with the princess, while Mario has a long-term girlfriend Daniella, who is an expy for [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong Pauline]], his original love interest in the games.
98	* ''Film/TimAndEricsBillionDollarMovie'', not having any involvement from Creator/AdultSwim, had many of the performers who appeared on ''Series/TimAndEricAwesomeShowGreatJob'' play roles similar to the TV show's, such as John C. Reilly's ManChild Taquito being based on the earlier Dr. Steve Brule.
99	* ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen''; [[spoiler: In ''Transformers 1'', of course, they couldn't have a giant robot turn into outdated '80s technology so they had an expy of Soundwave by taking one of Soundwave's tapes (Frenzy) and turning him into a CD player. In ''Revenge of the Fallen'', they turn Soundwave himself into a satellite, and he sends another one of his tapes, Ravage, to Earth to spy on the humans. The whole Expy thing becomes a bit Meta, because Ravage spews a bunch of little metal balls which come together and form another character who is an expy of Movie 1's Frenzy!]]
100	* Creator/JohnCusack's HitmanWithAHeart in ''Film/WarInc'' is an expy of his character in the earlier film ''Film/GrossePointeBlank'', and almost every other character in the new film has an equivalent in the previous one.
101	* Del Preston from ''Film/WaynesWorld2'' is Danny from ''Film/WithnailAndI'', and is even played by the same actor. This could be considered a ShoutOut.
102	* Dr. Hoenneger from ''Film/TheWolfman2010'' is possibly one of Dr. Mannering from [[Film/FrankensteinMeetsTheWolfMan the original film's sequel]], a similar but far less sadistic character.
103	* The gifted athlete Nanu (who just so happens to come from Africa) from ''Film/TheWorldsGreatestAthlete'' is an obvious ShoutOut to Franchise/{{Tarzan}}.
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Context Expy / LiveActionFilms