Stallone Was So Scared For His Life He Almost Refused to Cast Mike Tyson In $1,7B Franchise
The famous boxer could have taken the movie to a whole new level, but even that did not convince Stallone.
The original Rocky movie has been called the best sports movie ever made by many experts, and the franchise itself is the first and only that has been running for more than 40 years.
Rocky, written by a then little-known half-Italian, won an Oscar as the best film of the year, beating out Martin Scorsese 's Taxi Driver, among others.
The movie survived four sequels, and Stallone received the status of a superstar and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. And then it was long forgotten.
The fifth installment, Rocky V, received the lowest ratings of all the movies about Rocky, as well as not so positive reviews from critics, and the Rocky franchise went silent for a full 16 years.
When Sylvester Stallone decided to revive the franchise and shoot the sixth installment of Rocky Balboa, he clearly needed a new approach and new faces.
One of the greatest boxers expressed his desire to star in a new movie that would give Rocky just that, but Stallone stubbornly refused. All because he feared for his life.
"Mike wanted to fight me in this film but I thought it was a bad idea. I know I'm not that young, but I'm still too young to die," Stallone once revealed in his interview.
Despite the refusal, Mike Tyson kept calling and finally Stallone relented and offered him the part on one condition.
Tyson was not allowed to do any part that involved fighting in the ring, because Stallone said he would just kill him if he gets in, but Sly allowed him to be in the audience watching fights.
So Tyson got a cameo where he taunts Rocky's opponent.
A cult hero of the late 1970s, boxing champion Rocky Balboa returned to the big screen in triumph. Most critics and viewers wrote rave reviews.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 77% from critics and 76% from viewers, which says more about the quality of the movie than any review.
Rocky Balboa grossed $155 million, proving to everyone that Rocky hasn't been defeated yet.
Source: Boxing Scene