Why Stallone Rejected 2 Tarantino Movies: “Quentin, You’re Crazy!”

Since Quentin Tarantino began his directing career, he has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. From Tim Roth to Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Uma Thurman, his collaborations boast a roster of top stars.

However, one major star has consistently declined to work with Tarantino, which is quite astonishing! That star is Sylvester Stallone. Given that Tarantino is a huge fan of Stallone, especially for his role in Rambo, this refusal is particularly surprising.

Stallone vs Tarantino

There is a significant reason behind this, as Stallone himself has explained. In a March 2012 interview with MacLeans, he mentioned turning down two roles offered by Tarantino. Initially, the discussion focused on Rambo, where in David Morrell’s original novel, First Blood, the character dies at the end.

Stallone advocated for Rambo’s survival, aiming for a hopeful ending. “There were nearly 200,000 Vietnam veteran suicides. I said, ‘Why not let him make it through without killing him?'”, Stallone explained about the discussions regarding the character’s fate during filming.

For Tarantino, altering the story was unacceptable. “You’re a coward; you should have killed him!”, the director passionately argued. Stallone replied, “Quentin, you’re crazy! I want to make sequels, my brother.” This disagreement set a rocky foundation for any future collaborations.

Quentin, you’re crazy! I want to make sequels, my brother.

Tarantino Rejected by Stallone

This was evident as Stallone later revealed the two Tarantino films he declined. First, he turned down the role of Luis in Jackie Brown (1997), which ultimately went to Robert De Niro. Coincidentally, De Niro and Stallone both appeared in James Mangold’s film Copland that same year.

Ten years later, Tarantino approached him again to play the villain Stuntman Mike in Death Proof. Stallone flatly refused once more, and Kurt Russell was cast instead. “I said, ‘It’s not possible. I have two daughters, and this guy, his hobby is putting teenage girls in his car and crashing them into a wall. It won’t work,'” Stallone responded to Tarantino.

Interestingly, Tarantino also wanted Stallone for Inglourious Basterds. A script draft written in the mid-90s envisioned the three biggest action stars in the leading roles: Aldo Raine would have been played by Sylvester Stallone, soldier Donny Donowitz by Bruce Willis, and the German Hugo Stiglitz by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Eventually, these roles went to Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, and Til Schweiger. The script underwent several rewrites, transitioning from a war spoof to an epic set during World War II. The trio of action stars later reunited in the Expendables series.

As Tarantino contemplates his 10th and possibly final film before retiring, there remains a slim chance of collaboration with Stallone. At 78 years old, Stallone shows no signs of slowing down, with upcoming appearances in season 3 of Tulsa King and in the action films Alarum and Armor. No release dates have been announced for these projects yet.