Sylvester Stallone gives a positive update on the status of a Rambo precursor. The iconic actor/writer/director’s career spans more than five decades and seems unstoppable. His final appearance will be for Paramount+’s upcoming The Tulsa King series, in which he plays a mob boss tasked with starting a criminal empire in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lately, he’s been involved in projects such as Amazon Prime’s superhero drama, Samaritanand give the voice to DC fan-favorite King Shark, in James Gunn’s critically acclaimed The Suicide Squad.
Starting with 1982 first bloodStallone has made the character John Rambo one of his most iconic roles and has joined the echelons of his immortal performance as Rocky Balboa. For over 40 years, the hardened Vietnam veteran has taken everyone from Soviet Russians into Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III to the Mexican cartel in the years 2019 Rambo: Last Blood. While these sequels have their fans, the far-fetched concepts are a far cry from the somewhat grounded drama that made the original first blood such a beloved film in the 80s action cinema pantheon.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood ReporterStallone made it clear to fans that he remains optimistic about making a prequel – focusing on the life of John Rambo. However, the actor seems a little unsure of which direction the prequel might go. Check out what Stallone had to say below:
I think it’s going to happen. I wanted to do it like a Ken Burns documentary about Vietnam where you drop the young Rambo in, and he’s an outgoing guy, football captain, and then you see why he becomes Rambo. But what they want is a contemporary story in which I pass the torch. That’s close.
What the Rambo prequel can add to the character
Rambo has often been a very lonely and silent character, with only hints of his true vulnerability in moments like the heartbreaking final scene in first blood to the first act of the most recent submission, Rambo: Last Blood. While it may be shocking for longtime fans to read Stallone’s ideas of presenting a young Rambo as an outgoing “football captain,” that approach may be just what the prequel needs to add more depth to an often monotonous character. Plus, seeing Rambo as a young soldier and how he develops a relationship with a young Colonel Trautman (his mentor in the first three films) could make for compelling drama.
While Rambo: Last Blood was a moderate hit at the box office in 2019, many critics and fans were somewhat dissatisfied with the nihilism and brutality that perpetuated that last film. With a ridiculous amount of blood and a rather regressive political slant, perhaps a more character-driven prequel, as Stallone alludes to, could bring the heart back to the series that has been going on since the earlier one. Rambo entries. Whatever the approach, fans should be excited to hear that John Rambo’s story is far from over and that Stallone himself will have a part to play in his return.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
