10 potential lookalike replacements for Harry Shearer's Simpsons characters

It's a sad day in Springfield.

Voice actor Harry Shearer - the vocal talent behind the likes of Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Dr Hibbert, Kent Brockman and a host of other characters - has announced that he is parting ways with the animated show.

Having voiced key characters since its early episodes on The Tracey Ullman Show, the cause of Shearer's departure stems from an apparent contract dispute that limits the amount of extra work the voice actor is able to take on. 

Here's what Shearer tweeted on 14 May:

According to Hollywood Reporter, Shearer - who won an Emmy Award for his voice-over work last year - was the sole actor to hold out during recent contract negotiations with FOX, with the rest of the cast signing for seasons 27 and 28.

With a replacement yet to be announced, we thought we'd give FOX a helping hand by finding some real life replacements for Shearer's reoccurring parts (and no, it's got nothing to do with their vocal similarities). Feel free to give post your own replacements in the comments below.

Vladimir Putin - Mr Burns

Ed Miliband - Reverend Lovejoy

Jon Snow - Kent Brockman

Nigel Farage - Principal Skinner

Gary Oldman - Ned Flanders

Slash - Otto Mann

Jason Bateman - Waylon Smithers

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Rainier Wolfcastle

Tom Selleck - Jebediah Springfield

Morgan Freeman - God

(Images: Rex, All Star)