Sylvester Stallone took the risk of starring in a John Hughes-directed comedy in the ‘90s, as humor was not ordinarily his forte. He starred alongside John Candy, who had worked seamlessly with Hughes in the past. They both had a mutual outlook on comedic styles and personal values and Candy became a favorite actor for Hughes.
Pairing the happy-go-lucky Candy with the no-nonsense Stallone was an interesting venture that birthed Bartholomew vs. Neff. Candy plays the role of a corporate banker, while Stallone is his ex-baseball player neighbor, who becomes an enemy at some point.
John Candy was forced to work with Sylvester Stallone
Candy was not on good terms with Hughes and was forced to star in Bartholomew Vs. Neff under contract. The movie never came to be, despite Carolco, the production studio, going all out with publicity and putting up a huge billboard at Cannes confirming that Hughes would write, direct, and produce the promised project.
Sadly, other productions overshadowed Bartholomew Vs. Neff, which Candy grew uninterested in as he took on other gigs. Candy even passed up subsequent Hughes-directed movies due to their rift, but out of obligation to his contract, he did his last role in Wagons East, during which he died of a heart attack at 43.
Sylvester Stallone never made it in comedy
Bartholomew Vs. Neff must have proven to Stallone to give up the comedy genre, as did a few other attempts. He had another failure with Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which saw him nearly act alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger; however, Cliffhanger and Demolition Man gave a glimmer of hope.
Unlike Candy, Stallone was excited to work with Hughes, noting that he is a big fan of his comic portrayal of everyday life. Hughes was also caught up with other projects like Curly Sue and Home Alone, so Bartholomew Vs. Neff naturally took the back seat.