From Rocky to Rambo and everything in between, Sylvester Stallone has enjoyed a five-plus decade career as one of the grittiest actors in Hollywood. He is a fixture in both cinema and pop culture and is one of the most recognizable faces the world round. However, for every Rocky, there is an equally iconic role that the star either turned down or missed out on. Let's examine 10 of those roles.
10 Star Wars (1977)
The making of Star Wars in the years leading up to it's 1977 release was no certainty. The film would go on to be a global behemoth upon its release and is a franchise still breathing even today. The iconic trio of Luke, Leia, and Han from the original trilogy almost looked a lot different. A laundry list of actors auditioned for the role of Han Solo, with Sylvester Stallone being one of them. The role ultimately went to Harrison Ford and the rest is history from a galaxy far, far away. While Stallone did not have any releases in 1977, the high he was riding from the premier of Rocky a year earlier was sure to tamper any disappointment he may have had.
9 Witness (1985)
Back to back losses to Harrison Ford as Stallone was considered for the leading role in the police detective turned Amish action film, Witness, but did not land the part. Ford's performance would go on to earn him the only Oscar nomination of his career thus far, and Stallone would star in 1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II.
8 Face/Off (1997)
Before Nicolas Cage and John Travolta joined the 1997 John Woo action thriller, Face/Off, the studio wanted the roles to go to 80s action stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and of course, Sylvester Stallone. Instead, Stallone's biggest release of 97 would come in James Mangold's Cop Land.
7 Jackie Brown (1997)
Sylvester Stallone has worked for an endless list of directors throughout his career, but never with iconic director Quentin Tarantino, despite having the opportunity to do so. One of those being in the director's 1997 crime flick, Jackie Brown. Considered for the role of Louis Gara that eventually went to Robert De Niro, this would be the second time Stallone missed out on working with the director. More on that later.
6 Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
The character of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop is so tied to Eddie Murphy that it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role, let alone tough guy Sylvester Stallone. That is the movie we almost got as Stallone was slated to star in the film before he began rewrites on the script, increasing the budget, and therefore seeing himself out the door. 1984 would see Stallone star opposite Dolly Parton in Rhinestone.
5 Die Hard (1988)
Much like Eddie Murphy and Axel Foley, the same kind of bond between actor and character could be said about Bruce Willis and John McClane in the decidedly non-Christmas movie, Die Hard. Another '80s action hero role that Stallone would most likely have fit perfectly into, but ended up working out the way most fans would want when the actor turned down the role. The third entry of Rambo would release the same year, starring Stallone in his own iconic role.
4 The Godfather: Part III (1990)
After being turned down for a role in the 1972 original, Sylvester Stallone instead turned his attention to writing and out of that came Rocky, not a bad consolation prize. Fast-forward 18 years, and Paramount Pictures set out with the goal of luring in Stallone to write, direct, and star in The Godfather: Part III. As time went on, the studio ultimately returned to Francis Ford Coppola to return and finish the trilogy which he had started nearly two decades prior. Stallone, rather, would return once again to Rocky Balboa in Rocky V in 1990.
3 Batman & Robin (1997)
Director Joel Schumacher was bound and determined to have a '80s action star take on the role of Mr. Freeze in the 1997 better than you might think follow up to, Batman Forever. In Batman & Robin. He got his wish when Arnold Schwarzenegger signed on to the role, with Sylvester Stallone serving as the backup should Schwarzenegger had not worked out.
2 Pulp Fiction (1994)
The first opportunity Sylvester Stallone had to work with director Quentin Tarantino came with 1994's Pulp Fiction, as the actor was considered to play one of the roles that were eventually filled by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. A role Jackson believes he should have won an Oscar for. Stallone would star in the action thriller, The Specialist, in 1994.
1 Superman (1978)
Superman: The Movie is considered by many to be the birth of the modern superhero movie, and Christopher Reeve's performance as Superman aka Clark Kent is an all-time iconic performance in cinema history. It was also a role lobbied for heavily by Sylvester Stallone. Coming off the success and impact of Rocky, Stallone was positioning himself as the next great Hollywood star. Stallone was ultimately turned down for the role, for being "too Italian". It was star Marlon Brando, who had final say on the cast, who had turned down Stallone for the part. Something that continued to irritate Stallone in the years following his rejection.