Sylvester Stallone’s French Action Flick Secret with Luc Besson, 24 Years Ago!

From 1998 to 2007, the first four installments of the Taxi series were massive hits, attracting a total of 27.4 million viewers! Spearheaded by Samy Naceri, this action-packed franchise produced by Luc Besson became a cultural phenomenon.

A Special Guest Star!

Following the success of the first two films, the Taxi saga had gained enough popularity to feature an international star in an iconic scene: Sylvester Stallone! At the start of the film, Daniel picks up a man in a hurry, chased by a gang of thugs on rollerblades.

To shake off his pursuers, Stallone’s character asks Daniel to rush him to Marseille’s airport, offering a hefty stack of cash in return. The fastest taxi in Marseille then takes off at breakneck speed, providing Stallone with an unforgettable ride!

They make it just in time for the hurried passenger to catch a helicopter by grabbing onto a cable! Right from the start, Taxi 3 delivers a comical twist that sets the humorous tone for the film. The star of muscular movies like Rocky and Rambo is terrified by the driving of a mere taxi driver, adding a spectacular and funny opening that also brings an international and amusing flair to the French comedy.

Movie Magic or Real Encounter?

So, how did the producers manage to get Stallone to participate in this scene? There were rumors that the actor never actually met Samy Naceri. It was said that Stallone filmed in Los Angeles while his French counterpart shot his scenes in Marseille, with editing doing the rest. However, that was not entirely the case, except for the location in the City of Angels.

Indeed, Samy Naceri did meet Stallone in L.A.! “We were a small team from Marseille, and Luc Besson surprised us. He wouldn’t tell us who it was during the whole trip. He was already in Los Angeles. We were a small team; they put the car in the plane, and we ended up at the Los Angeles aerodrome,” Naceri shared with the media outlet Legend.

We were a small team, they put the car in the plane, and we ended up at the Los Angeles aerodrome.

“So I did meet Stallone, but of course, we weren’t in Marseille because he wanted us to come to him. But we were really in Los Angeles, and Stallone was actually there behind the car. There was no trickery. However, we weren’t in Marseille, we were in L.A., and everything you see in the background is a green screen,” he continued.

“But I was really with him, I even got my makeup done in Stallone’s dressing room, he had four girls doing his hands, feet, hair… And I was right beside him,” he concluded, confirming that the meeting indeed took place.

Luc Besson also confirmed Naceri’s statements, again speaking to Legend. “Actually, Stallone only had one day [available], so we brought the car over there. The entire first scene, he’s wearing a helmet, so it’s not him. He then filmed for one day on the tarmac of Beverly Hills Airport,” the producer and director confirmed.

For this sequence, followed by a credits sequence that parodies James Bond films, Luc Besson initially considered Pierce Brosnan. However, an exclusivity contract prevented the actor from reprising the role of the secret agent outside the franchise, leading Besson to turn to Stallone, who had expressed a desire to work with the French filmmaker someday.

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