DYK Jackie Chan turned down the offer to star in 4 Sylvester Stallone movies

Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone are two of the biggest actions in the film industry. While it is common for actors working in the same genre to collaborate on a project, interestingly, Chan and Stallone have not featured in a single movie yet throughout their decades-long acting careers. It's not like the opportunity did not present itself but reportedly Chan said no to work with the Rocky star on four separate occasions.

Jackie Chan's concerns about working with Stallone

On numerous occasions, Rambo star Sylvester Stallone has tried to work with Jackie Chan. But, due to some concerns raised by the Shanghai Noon actor, a film between the two has not worked out till now. According to Chan's autobiography Never Grow Up, the first time Stallone wanted to work with him was in Demolition Man. Before casting Wesley Snipes as the villain, Stallone tried to get Chan to accept the part, but he was opposed to playing a villain due to his image. 

The second offer was for the fourth Rambo movie, in which the role Chan was offered was that of a drug dealer. In Never Grow Up, Chan said he felt it wasn’t right for him, probably due to the same issues. Years later, Stallone wanted to cast Chan in Expendables 2 and Expendables 3. However, scheduling conflicts and a relatively smaller part in the movies dissuaded Chan from signing on for the films.  

Jackie Chan mentions Sylvester Stallone at Oscars

In 2016, when Jackie Chan won the honorary Oscar, he gave a heartfelt speech in which he recalled a special memory of visiting his friend Sylvester Stallone when he first saw an Oscar in close vicinity. He described himself as touching and simultaneously, kissing the award. He said, “I touched it, I kissed it, I smelled it. I believe it still has my fingerprints on it.”