Three-time Oscar-nominee Sylvester Stallone needs no introduction. While he has recently shifted his focus to television with his acclaimed role in Tulsa King, his tenure of characters like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo have cemented him as a legendary action hero of cinema. Outside of the action realm, he has dabbled in comedy and drama, and is also a seasoned writer/director.
At one point in his career, near-enough every Hollywood director wanted to work with Stallone. As typically comes with an embarrassment of riches, the Italian Stallion couldn’t say yes to every script that landed in his lap. However, the Sylvester Stallone roles that never came to be aren’t all stories of rejection on his part, some saw him cast aside and replaced. So, here are 6 big movie roles that he lost out on.
Death Proof (2007)
Amongst the many roles Sylvester Stallone rejected, Death Proof may serve as the one he doesn’t regret giving the thumbs down. Widely considered to be Quentin Tarantino‘s weakest film, the plot follows a deranged stuntman who uses his “death proof” car to execute young women. While the role eventually went to Kurt Russell, Stallone was first on Tarantino’s artistic radar. However, Sly told him that there was “no way” he would play a man who’s twisted hobby is “putting teenagers in his car and smashing them into a wall.” This decision was due to the fact that Stallone had two young daughters at the time, meaning it just didn’t sit right with him.
Face/Off (1997)
Bringing in $245 million at the box office, making it the 11th highest-grossing film of 1997, John Woo‘s Face/Off was a true smash hit. John Travolta was riding his comeback wave after Pulp Fiction, and Nicolas Cage was heavily touted as the next big thing after his Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas. However, as an action movie, one could argue that if the originally intended stars were cast, it could have been even bigger. Reportedly, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the initial picks. At the time, action movie buffs were dying to see the two titans duke it out on the big screen. Yet this wouldn’t happen until 2010 when they squabbled in The Expendables.
Jackie Brown (1997)
So, it appears Quentin Tarantino has had his eye on Sylvester Stallone for a long time. Not many actors have turned him down, but Stallone has the unique distinction of doing it twice. Before Robert De Niro was cast as stoner thief Louis Gara in Jackie Brown, QT had his heart set on the Italian Stallion, but got swiftly rejected. While this could have been the perfect territory for Stallone to flex his dramatic chops again, he got that opportunity the same year with Cop Land.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Considering he started his career as a screenwriter and earned an Oscar nomination for it, it’s not surprising to learn that Sylvester Stallone has a penchant for tinkering with material when he boards a project. This is exactly what he did with Beverly Hills Cop. However, he swerved the movie away from comedy and made it much darker and way more violent. This ultimately caused creative clashes, leading him to depart the movie. Eddie Murphy boarded and the film had its comedic flair re-ignited. Meanwhile, Stallone took his material and spliced it into the script for Cobra.
Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard changed the way action movies were cast when it was released in 1988. Prior to taking on the lead role of the tough-as-nails cop John McClane, Bruce Willis was known for his comedic roles in movies like Blind Date, and the hit TV show Moonlighting. With an image far from a tough guy, it was reported that audiences worldwide actually laughed him off the screen when the trailer was released. As a result, he was even taken off of the movie’s first official poster. Of course, Die Hard is now widely regarded as one of the best action movies ever made, and Willis became a global star thanks to his rendition. Before he was cast, producers were eyeing typical tough guy actors like Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Burt Reynolds, and Sylvester Stallone. Reportedly, Sly turned down the role feeling the character was too similar to John Rambo.
Superman (1978)
Still riding the success of Rocky, by 1978 Sylvester Stallone was a major hot ticket in Hollywood. To that, he was one of the first in line to play Superman in Richard Donner‘s cinematic adaptation. However, things didn’t go to plan and Stallone didn’t make it past the screen test phase for reportedly looking “too ethnic”, rather ironic seeing as seven years prior he was rejected for a background role in The Godfather for not looking Italian enough. Other reports also claim that Marlon Brando refused to let a rising star overshadow him, which seems plausible as he had veto rights on casting. Nevertheless, Stallone got his chance to play a superhero in the 2022 movie Samaritan.
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