Furious Kirk Douglas stormed out of Sylvester Stallone's $500M franchise almost derailing it
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, who died aged 103 in 2020, originally had a role in 'Rambo'. However, the iconic thespian left production in the middle of filming because of some vagaries in production.
Douglas, who gained recognition as the titular hero in Stanley Kubrick's historical epic 'Spartacus', appeared in several dramas and romances in his lengthy career. He was all set to play a part in 'Rambo' in the 1980s, but things didn't quite work out.
Why did Kirk Douglas leave 'Rambo' role?
According to The New York Times, Douglas was set up for a brief but major appearance in the film, in which he would have acted as Sylvester Stallone's army trainer. Douglas was furious when the moments he had taped were changed and eventually significantly edited. The frustration led him to eventually abandon the role.
'Rambo's disastrous filming schedule
'Rambo's filming was apparently marred with issues. In addition to the project's suspension due to inclement weather and the postponement of many crucial stunt scenes, Stallone allegedly suffered an injury performing a stunt.
After Douglas stormed out, the production was in need of a replacement right away. Richard Crenna stepped in, but his contract stated that if he spent more than a specific length of time on set, his fee would significantly increase. A decision was taken to release Crenna as well because filming had been postponed and there was still work to be done.
Kirk Douglas' early life
Kirk Douglas' real name was Issur Danielovitch but he was commonly known as Izzy Demsky. He was born on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York, and died on February 5, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his depictions of strong, empathetic heroes and antiheroes.
Born to Russian Jewish immigrants, Douglas pursued his education at St Lawrence University in Canton, New York (BA, 1939), and the American Academy of Dramatic Art (1939–1941) in New York City. He also worked as an usher, a bellhop, a waiter, and a professional wrestler, as reported by Biography.