During their earlier careers, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone didn’t always see eye to eye. In his documentary, titled Arnold, Schwarzenegger revealed that the rivalry was so intense that he would actively seek to outperform Stallone’s successful movies. At the memorial service for the late Hollywood attorney, Jake Bloom, Schwarzenegger revealed that a burger joint deal negotiated by Bloom played a crucial role in ending their long-standing rivalry.
This rivalry between the two action stars gave audiences some of the best action movie franchises, including Rambo and The Terminator. However, fans might have missed out on their collaborations in projects like The Expendables and Escape Plan, if the rivalry hadn’t been put to rest.
A Burger Joint Ended Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone’s Rivalry
According to Page Six, Arnold Schwarzenegger attended an invite-only memorial service for Jake Bloom and, in his eulogy, mentioned that the attorney had a hand in resolving his rivalry with Sylvester Stallone. Jake Bloom, one of the top legal consultants for Hollywood legends like Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Bruce Willis, died in September at the age of 81. Bloom also served as the attorney for both actors. Schwarzenegger initially didn’t approve of Bloom taking on Stallone as a client.
However, the Total Recall actor recalled that he was even more frustrated when Bloom brought in the Rocky actor as a partner in a restaurant business they were backing. Planet Hollywood, a Hollywood-themed chain of burger joints, was founded by the English-American producer, Robert Earl, in 1991. Besides Stallone and Schwarzenegger, other major players, including Bruce Willis, were partners in the business.
Bloom convinced the True Lies actor that Stallone would be an invaluable asset to the business, given his star power. Both actors had to appear for endorsements of the brand and they were compensated through an employee stock ownership plan. The first restaurant opened in New York City, followed by branches in Southern California, London, and various other locations.
The Tulsa King actor and the Twins actor embarked on promotional tours around the world for their burger joint. They got to spend a lot of time together and gradually put their differences aside. This essentially marked the end of their rivalry.
Jake Bloom’s Services Go Beyond Solving Arnold Schwarzenegger-Sylvester Stallone Rivalry
Besides ending their rivalry, Jake Bloom was also instrumental in shaping the careers of both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as action stars. As a co-founder of the Bloom Hergott firm, he represented some of Hollywood’s richest, including Jerry Bruckheimer, John Hughes, Ron Howard, and Jackie Chan.
Through his carefully crafted deals, he also made some people very rich in Hollywood, including Johnny Depp and George Lucas. Matthew Belloni wrote for The Hollywood Reporter:
“Jake Bloom was a movie star lawyer for the movie star era. Yes, he negotiated deals, some of the biggest Hollywood has ever seen. Bloom made Johnny Depp very rich thanks to the profit definition he crafted for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He helped Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone become global action stars. For George Lucas, Bloom, with his partners, carved out the Star Wars merchandise rights that turned an indie filmmaker into a billionaire.”
Rumors of rivalry between Schwarzenegger and Stallone recently resurfaced after the Commando actor turned down the offer to appear in Expend4bles. However, Schwarzenegger has since denied the rumors and clarified that he was simply not interested in the project.
Both actors have ventured into television, with Schwarzenegger headlining FUBAR, streaming on Netflix, while Stallone starring in Paramount+’s Tulsa King.
