James Cameron’s exceptional contributions to cinema are beyond comparison. He has directed and written some of the most iconic and successful films in history. From Avatar to Titanic, he has done it all, not only his work pushed the boundaries of visual effects but also became the highest-grossing film of all time. Thus, indeed, being a visionary, he staunchly defends his work when it is tampered with.
Consequently, due to creative differences, Cameron found himself gradually growing apart from A-list actor Sylvester Stallone. This occurred following their brief collaboration on the sequel of the popular film Rambo, during which Stallone chose to make certain alterations that deviated from Cameron’s original directorial vision.
Why did James Cameron Distance Himself From Sylvester Stallone?
Although James Cameron worked with a lot of Hollywood stars, Sylvester Stallone was the one he worked with the least bit among the famous names. The two worked on the movie Rambo: First Blood Part II, together. Well not quite together, after the director turned the first draft in for the cast and crew to look at, the actor poked a lot of holes into the story. He then later decided to scrap most of its part and rewrite the majority of the portion to make it “work”. Thus, consequently, Cameron did not like how his work was being treated. Despite being credited for the movie, the writer and director says,
“I admire the film’s success and I’m happy for everybody involved, but I always have to distance myself from it because it’s not the film I wrote – it was substantially rewritten by Sylvester Stallone. The script that I wrote was pretty violent, but not in such an amoral way,”
He believes despite birthing the backbone of the movie, he cannot quite associate himself with the film as the film stands against everything he believes in. He also elaborated on his experience of meeting the actor by stating,
“I know very little about Stallone, because my work with him consisted of one lunch to discuss the script. He said, ‘I think you should put a girl in it.’
As a result, the director opted to completely disassociate himself from the project. Fortunately, his career has extended well beyond this instance, encompassing some of the most iconic movies in history.
Why did Sylvester Stallone Change James Cameron’s Rambo 2 Script So Much?
While James Cameron was busy working on Aliens, Sylvester Stallone, the franchise’s main star, took the script and made significant modifications, resulting in a version different from Cameron’s original concept. Although both Cameron and Stallone are credited as screenwriters, looking back it was pretty evident that Stallone had the final authority over the script’s content. The actor thought the script was too violent and therefore decided to make major alterations that did not end up impressing the Titanic director.
In crafting the script for the Rambo sequel, James Cameron inherently embraced a heightened level of violence compared to the first film. However, Cameron skillfully aimed to maintain a delicate balance, where Rambo’s adeptness as a deadly operative was effectively portrayed, even though he was seen taking only one life. On the contrary, despite complaining, Stallone ended up writing a far more ghastly story, as he was now seen killing people left and right very much more than what James Cameron initially intended.