10 Actors Who Knew Their Action Movie Was Doomed From Day One

3. Sylvester Stallone – Judge Dredd

Sylvester Stallone was one of the biggest action movie stars in the world when he joined the Judge Dredd (1995) project. Hollywood was looking for its next big crossover hit following the success of the Tim Burton Batman films, and the mid-nineties was a time long before the phenomenon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when the modern comic book movie genre was still trying to find its feet.

The filming and production of Judge Dredd was fraught with problems, with Stallone reportedly unhappy with the final script and director Danny Cannon’s overall vision. Sly would use his star power and enormous ego to flex his muscles and use his clout to exert his own ideas onto how the film should play out. He wanted to take it in more of a comedic and cartoon-ish style than had first been planned. And the conflict between star and director would pull the film into different directions, which was all too apparent when the final cut was delivered to audiences.

Stallone himself has gone on record as referring to the outcome of the film as being a wasted opportunity, telling Total Film, “The biggest mistake I ever made was with the sloppy handling of Judge Dredd”.

The legendary star appears to have always regretted the way the experience turned out, with the conflict between star and director ultimately dooming the presentation rather than enhancing it.