The longest breaks between revivals of famous roles

What was once old is new again. Tom Cruise is Maverick. Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones. Michael Keaton is Batman.

All three actors originally took on these roles in the 1980s, becoming cultural icons in the process. However, decades later and despite their advanced age, they have returned to the past for a new adventure.

As Hollywood becomes more focused on sequels, spin-offs, and evolving existing names, it’s becoming more common for studios to lure stars into classic roles—there was an entire Spider-Man movie about it, after all.

Read more: Critics welcome Michael Keaton’s return to Batman

With the news that Keaton is returning for a sequel to the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice and is also reprising his role as Batman for The Flash — more than three decades after he last played both of those roles — we thought we’d take a look at some of the stars who have returned to their most iconic roles after a long time away.

Read on to find out who took the longest time off to portray the same character.

Tom Cruise as Maverick: 36 years

Top Gun was a cultural phenomenon in 1986. Top Gun: Maverick was a cultural phenomenon in 2022. Tom Cruise has barely aged a day in the 36 years between the first and second films.

The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and was widely credited with helping to revive the moviegoing experience after the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s safe to say Cruise’s return to the hot seat was a success.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones: 18 years

Harrison Ford also returned to play Han Solo for the Star Wars sequel trilogy (and Deckard in Blade Runner 2049), but he returned twice to play Indiana Jones.

After The Last Crusade seemed to be the end for the swashbuckling archaeologist, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas brought Indy and his whip back for the not-so-well-received Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, 18 years after Ford last played Jones.

The actor is now 80, but will reprise the legendary role 16 years later in the upcoming film “Dial of Destiny.”

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker: 32 years

Over 30 years have passed between “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens.” That was a lot of years without the Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker. And it took even longer for him to say anything, as he only makes a cameo appearance in the first part of the sequel trilogy.

But for the fans, it was great to see Hamill again.

Michael Keaton as Batman: 31 years

Keaton was originally set to return as Batman for “Batgirl,” but Warner Bros. canceled the film in post-production, so his official return as the masked avenger will be in the upcoming “The Flash.”

Keaton last played Batman in 1992’s Batman Returns and was a major focus of the marketing campaign, although it remains to be seen how prominent he will be in the film.

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky: 16 years

In the mid-2000s, Sylvester Stallone brought back his two most famous characters, Rocky and Rambo, but the slurring boxer became increasingly popular with audiences and the actor himself.

Stallone was last seen in 1990’s poorly received Rocky V, but he reprised the role of the poignant Rocky Balboa in 2006. He also played the character in the first two Creed films.

Paul Newman as Fast Eddie: 25 years

“Sharks of the City” is a classic of 1960s cinema, but not a film that one would think needs a sequel almost 30 years later.

Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Cruise and a young Forest Whitaker, Paul Newman returned as pool shark Fast Eddie in “The Color of Money,” winning his first Oscar at the seventh attempt.

Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant: 21 years

Sam Neill rose to worldwide stardom with the release of Jurassic Park in 1993, but decided not to return for The Lost World, the first Jurassic sequel, but did star in Jurassic Park III in 2001.

The New Zealander did not initially return for the 2015 reboot of Jurassic World until last year’s episode, when he reunited with his original co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern for the first time in 30 years.

Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago: 33 years

In “Rocky IV,” Dolph Lundgren went from being a scientific genius to a global icon in his role as Soviet boxer Ivan Drago.

Over 30 years and several collaborations with co-star Sylvester Stallone later, Lundgren returned to the ongoing boxing franchise with his bleached hair and delivered the best performance of his career.

Eddie Murphy as Akeem Joffer: 33 years

Coming to America is still the funniest movie Eddie Murphy ever made, so it’s surprising that the world had to wait over 30 years for a sequel, especially considering that Murphy’s star has since fallen dramatically.

Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones returned with Murphy for the 2021 sequel, but the magic wasn’t there.

Vin Diesel as Xander Cage: 12 years

In the early ’00s, Vin Diesel considered sequel offers for The Fast and the Furious, Pitch Black, and XXX. XXX was ultimately neglected and replaced by Ice Cube for the sequel, but had always made it clear that he would be open to a return to the spy series.

His wish was fulfilled 16 years later in the aptly named film “Xander Cage Returns,” which also starred Donnie Yen.

Watch: Beetlejuice 2 confirmed by Warner Bros