Throughout the years, the likes of Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator) have become synonymous with their respective action franchises – so much so, in fact, that it’s become difficult to imagine a new installment that doesn’t involve their ‘poster boy’ in some shape or form. Even if it’s a last-minute cameo (see: Tokyo Drift) or a de-aging process made possible by computer wizardry.
For Sylvester Stallone, the franchise is Rambo, which is about to enjoy its fifth (and potentially final?) episode in Last Blood. Pegged for release this Friday, September 20th – two days after the newly-unveiled Rambo Day event – it sees Stallone’s titular war veteran journey across the Mexican border to rescue a missing girl. It isn’t long before he’s face-to-face with a dangerous cartel and, this being a Rambo movie, that’s where the fun begins.
But let’s imagine a scenario in which Lionsgate extends the Rambo franchise beyond 2019… what would that look like? Another sequel, perhaps? Maybe. Well, if Sly Stallone has his way, we could be seeing a Rambo prequel movie in the not-so-distant future, as the actor recently revealed his desire to explore John Rambo’s teenage years.
Via Screen Rant:
I always thought of Rambo when he was 16 or 17 – I hope they can do the prequel – he was the best person you could find. He was the captain of the team; he was the most popular kid in school; super athlete. He was like Jim Thorpe, and the war is what changed him. If you saw him before, he was like the perfect guy.
Whether this notion ever comes to pass really depends on the potential success of Rambo: Last Blood – or lack thereof – and there’s every chance one of the major streaming platforms will pick up Rambo as a possible TV series, providing they gain Stallone’s blessing. It would certainly future-proof the character, though the question must be asked: who could possibly pick up the torch from Sly? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the usual place.
