One of the most historic feuds in recent Hollywood history has to be the one between Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Between the ‘80s and the ‘90s, these twin action stars had a rivalry that was so hot, it lead to Stallone making one of the biggest mistakes of his career. At least, until he made Escape Plan 2.
And to think, it all started on the night of the Golden Globes in 1977, when the man who would be Rambo first met the man who’d become the Terminator, and threw a big bowl of flowers in his direction. Sylvester Stallone shares this story himself, in the video below:
So on the big night that Rocky would eventually win Best Picture at the 1977 Golden Globes, it just so happened to be the same night that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger would begin their extended feud with one another.
Rocky was a big deal for Sylvester Stallone’s career, as he wrote and starred in the film that would put him on the map, so he naturally wanted to see it win in as many of the seven categories it was nominated in. Those losses, on top of Schwarzenegger supposedly gloating over Stallone as being named a hot new talent in the industry, led to that flower bowl sailing from one end of the table to the other. And thus, the feud was born.
How bad was this feud? Well, as Sylvester Stallone told Variety, the two really couldn’t stand to be in the same room. Not to mention that they’d compete for projects in the business, as they were kind of swimming in the same circles. It eventually lead to one of the greatest legendary fake-outs of all time.
You see, Arnold Schwarzenegger was offered this fun little project called Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Knowing what sort of mess he was getting into, but in the mood for a little bit of fun, Schwarzenegger ultimately passed on the film.
However, he made it look like he really wanted the role, which saw Sylvester Stallone campaign for and ultimately win the lead in the comedy co-starring Estelle Getty. If you’re curious as to what that film eventually looked like, you can take a look at its theatrical trailer below for a better look:
The Schwarzenegger/Stallone feud eventually ended, with both men realizing how much they had in common with one another. Which is a good thing, considering their first time teaming up in The Expendables was part of what made the franchise such a big deal earlier this decade.
Come to think of it, if any major film decided to team Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone together in another action packed film, there’s a chance it’d still be a huge draw. Meaning, if there’s anyone with a spec script that allows for John Rambo and John Matrix to form a singular ass-kicking unit, now’s probably the good time to dust it off and start shopping it around. And make sure there’s a fight in a flower shop, for maximum effect.
You better do it quick though, as Rambo: Last Blood is supposedly ending the path of the warrior for John Rambo on September 20. So there still might be a chance that you could be the writer to undo the sands of time.
