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Hollywood is full of what-ifs, and none are more fascinating than when big-name directors almost directed movies that went on to achieve massive success. These instances get viewers thinking about alternate histories and questioning if some of the biggest franchises of all time or the most inspirational sports movies would have had the same impact with a different director at the helm. There are plenty of movies that have left their mark on popular culture, and it’s impossible to know how they would have turned out with a different creative voice calling the shots.

Many of the best films of all time were almost directed by a different filmmaker, as greats like Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and Quentin Tarantino have turned down more movies than they ever made. Iconic series like James Bond, Harry Potter, and Star Wars were offered to plenty of big-name directors who ultimately decided the project wasn’t for them.

Sylvester Stallone is looking to explore more of the Italian Stallion's backstory in a planned Rocky prequel. The writer and actor has just shared a new update on the project, revealing that he's currently working on the script.

Stallone addressed the Rocky prequel in an interview with the Inspire Me podcast. He's just a few pages in at this point, though he teased different plot points that a prequel could naturally explore. That means not only detailing more of Rocky Balboa's life prior to the events of the first Rocky, but diving into more about the other characters of the classic film, such as Burt Young's Paulie and Talia Shire's Adrian. Stallone even hinted that the idea he has is reminiscent of the celebrated Disney movie Lady and the Tramp, albeit with human characters from Rocky rather than animated animals.

Related Carl Weathers Honored With Walk of Fame Star,...

The late Carl Weathers recently received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many of his past collaborators such as Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone offered loving tributes to honor the iconic actor as part of the ceremony.

According to Cracked, many of Weathers' past co-stars submitted tribute videos as part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony honoring the late actor. One of those stars, Sandler, spoke to how generous Weathers was as a person on the set of the classic golf comedy, Happy Gilmore. Weathers played Chubbs Peterson, a one-handed golf pro who convinces Happy Gilmore to pursue golf instead of languishing as a failed hockey player. "He was built like a truck, cool as hell and handsome as hell," Sandler said. The comedy star would further add that while on the set, Weathers was "so sweet to us and helped us relax immediately."

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Following the success of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, one of the biggest trends of the 1980s became underdog sports stories, with one of the more iconic being The Karate Kid. Helmed by original Rocky director John G. Avildsen, the 1984 teen drama not only became one of the biggest hits of its year, but also spawned a franchise that is still going to this day, including two direct sequels and the Netflix TV show Cobra Kai, which has served as a legacy sequel to the original movies.

The Karate Kid

Director John G. AvildsenRelease Date June 22, 1984Studio(s) Delphi II ProductionsDistributor(s) Columbia PicturesWriters Robert Mark KamenCast Yuji Okumoto, William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Elisabeth Shue, Pat Morita, Martin KoveRating PGRuntime 126 minutesGenres Family, Drama, Action, SportFranchise(s) The Karate KidSequel(s) The Karate Kid Part III, The Karate Kid Part IIBudget $8 million

The Karate Kid starred Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso, a...

Clockwise from bottom left: Pulp Fiction (Miramax Films/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images), Jaws (Universal Studios/Courtesy of Getty Images), The Terminator (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)Graphic: The A.V. Club

The only thing more challenging for a director than making a splash with their first feature film...

Melissa McCarthy stars in the upcoming Christmas film, Genie, which has a mix of Aladin-meets-Elf vibes in its first trailer. Writer Richard Curtis insists that he didn't deliberately try to pay homage to the classic film Elf. Curtis worked closely with Melissa McCarthy, who plays the titular role, to shape the character and even gave her creative input on the script.

Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu “ain’t never had a friend” like Melissa McCarthy… until now. Director Sam Boyd’s upcoming Christmas film Genie certainly has its fair share of Aladin-meets-Elf vibes in the comedy’s first trailer, but writer Richard Curtis insists that he wasn't deliberately trying to pay homage to the classics, particularly Will Ferrell’s misadventures as Buddy the Elf. Curtis said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:

I tried not to think about it or watch it [Elf]. The official answer is, definitely no. But who...