After the fourth movie in Sylvester Stallone’s (The Expendables) Rambo franchise proved to be such a hit; grossing $113 million worldwide, and reviving the one-man army after a 20 year hiatus, to a surprisingly receptive audience: rumours began flying about a fifth film being produced, and even Sly Stallone himself got in on the action and began planning story-lines that involved everything from rescuing a kidnapped girl to battling with a supernatural creature, until he finally admitted in May that he was “99% sure that there won’t be any more [Rambo movies].”
However, when recently asked (during a five day series of candid questions designed to promote The Expendables) about the possibility of producing a prequel movie that would explore Rambo’s background; his mixed race heritage, his loss of friends and innocence during the Vietnam War, how he trained to become the iconic figure he is, and how the horrors of war affected him; he admitted that it was “worth pondering, because it’s intriguing to find the whys and wherefores of how people have come to become what they are.”
Sly also went on to say that “the traumas, the loss, and the tragedy of being in Vietnam would certainly be a great challenge for a young actor, and it would be ironic that Rambo [meaning Sly himself] directs younger Rambo, after having played it for 20 plus years.”
So while this Q&A is far from official, and doesn’t even hold the weight of a basic idea as of yet, it’s certainly an intriguing prospect, as Sly; who’s leaning more and more towards his writing and directing nowadays; may one day get the urge to revive the legend that is Rambo, and do so by providing an origin story that could bring David Morrell’s (the original author and creator of the Rambo character) First Blood style Rambo (who was much leaner) back to the big-screen.
But with the idea of a prequel comes two rather important questions; would it be possible to show the horrors of a war that broke such a strong character, and still keep them as weighty and important (not simply showing certain expected scenes for the sake of it, and losing their impact, as some things are often worse when heard, and not seen) to the overall story arc? and which young actor could possibly be cast in the role, and be strong willed enough to believably grow into the character that moviegoers have followed for over 20 years?
Our review of Sly’s latest movie; The Expendables; (the trailer for which can be viewed by clicking here) will be live next week, and receiving it’s cinematic release on August the 13th in the U.S., and August the 19th in the U.K.
