Reports of a Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger team-up in Inglourious Basterds (2009) surfaced in the mid-2000s and caused excitement among fans, only to be denied by Quentin Tarantino later.
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009) starred talents like Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, and Til Schweiger. Taking cues from the events of World War II, this imaginative and revisionist retelling delves into the alternate history subgenre. The endeavor became a Tarantino classic, amassing substantial profits at the box office and resonating with critics who deemed it an exceptional effort.
Several rumors and assertions surfaced around the project’s inception, speculating the potential cast to be attached to the premise. One such report alleged that the helmer of the 2009 war movie initially envisioned ’80s action superstars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis in the leading roles of the premise.
However, the director’s statement at a 2007 press conference contradicted such implications. So, how much weight did these reports carry?
Did Quentin Tarantino Initially Want A Stallone-Schwarzenegger Team Up For Inglourious Basterds?
Commemorating the 14th anniversary of Inglourious Basterds‘ release, All The Right Movies on X recently posted several tidbits about how the project came to be. With an embellished filmography, Tarantino’s foray into the war genre was much anticipated. The 2009 release’s script took almost a decade to develop. Of course, there was also the matter of finding a suitable cast to grace the endeavor.
According to ATRight Movies, when the Pulp Fiction alum conceived the idea for the revisionist war film, it is believed he originally intended for legendary action heroes Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the leading roles. However, the idea was allegedly ditched. If we were to look into the validity of this fact, then we’d find an old report that seemingly attributes such a statement—implying those actors’ inclusion—to Quentin Tarantino.
The Arnold Fans, a news source dedicated to the star, once reported (via MovieWeb) that Tarantino had supposedly stated the following on the matter:
“I’ve said it once, and I [will] say it again. I want Bruce, Sly, and Arnold for my World War II epic. I have always [dreamed] of having these three superstars together in a movie…”
With many skeptical of the veracity of the claims made due to the statement’s phrasing and syntax, the query about the casting was eventually raised to the director during a press conference at Cannes, and his response suggested that these initial reports must be taken with a pinch of salt. At the time, nothing had been confirmed.
Quentin Tarantino Denied Making Such Claims
As per a Rotten Tomatoes editorial, Tarantino shed light on the process of casting for his films when he was asked at the 2007 Cannes press conference about the rumored involvement of Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Inglourious Basterds. At the time, the filmmaker denied such speculations and claimed he had no idea who would be starring in the 2009 movie.
Following was his statement:
“Inglorious Bastards [sic] — I never said it was going to star Bruce Willis, Schwarzenegger and Stallone. I don’t know who’s going to be in it at this point. I have to write it first. It always starts with me and the characters.”
He continued,
“Whenever I cast an actor and try to write the character around it, I always [regret] it, so I always try to write the character and cast the actor to fit the character.”
These reports, rumors, and speculations would eventually dissipate with the movie’s production. As we all know, Inglourious Basterds ended up starring Brad Pitt as one of the leads. Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz, also joined what became an all-star cast. The revisionist tale amassed $321.5 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $70 million. It is the third highest-grossing film in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography.
While some fans’ hopes for a Stallone-Schwarzenegger-Willis dream team-up in a QT-helmed production were squashed, it does make us wonder about the what-ifs. Nonetheless, Pitt and his co-stars’ efforts in the war film make it challenging to envision anybody else embodying those memorable roles.