John Rambo is one of those movie characters we grew up with. From the moment Sylvester Stallone stepped into the role in 1982’s ‘First Blood,’ Stallone and Rambo have been tied together, almost like two sides of the same coin.
But even a franchise as iconic as Rambo doesn’t stay frozen forever. New projects come along, new actors step in, and fresh stories come to the table. And in the middle of all this, Stallone has revealed that he once had a wild idea for Rambo’s next chapter.
Rambo’s Future Without Sylvester Stallone
The Rambo films have been Stallone’s baby from the very beginning. He often co-wrote scripts, directed, and contributed to the story from the very beginning. From First Blood in 1982 to ‘Rambo: Last Blood‘ in 2019, Stallone carried the weight of the franchise on his shoulders, where we saw Rambo’s evolution from a haunted Vietnam vet to a man trying (and often failing) to find peace.
But now, the franchise is officially moving into new hands with John Rambo in the making. It’s a prequel film focused on Rambo’s younger years as a Green Beret in Vietnam, where Noah Centineo is taking over the role. Obviously, this comes as a surprise to the fans because, unlike Batman or Bond, Rambo has only ever been Sylvester Stallone. So, seeing a new face step into those boots feels different. But as Stallone himself has admitted, the handover had to happen at some point if the franchise was going to keep going.
But very recently, while promoting ‘Tulsa King‘ season three, he told ScreenRant that he had been developing his own Rambo prequel idea before the studio moved ahead with Centineo’s film. He wanted to use AI to recreate his younger self and show a totally different side of Rambo.
Why Stallone’s AI Rambo Was Scrapped
In Stallone’s version, fans have always known Rambo as the scarred warrior. However, Stallone imagined him as the golden boy of his hometown, the kind of kid who’s prom king, valedictorian, and the guy everyone looks up to. He wanted to give fans the vibe that he was the last person you’d expect to become a hardened soldier.
From there, he wanted to show Rambo heading overseas to Vietnam, expecting all the happiness in the world. Instead, he faces torture, capture, and the deaths of his friends. This is the flip Stallone wanted to highlight for the fans: how a bright, happy young man turned into a broken survivor. Stallone believed such a prequel plot would explain why Rambo turned into the man we meet in ‘First Blood.’
In case you missed it: “If I Ever Pass The Baton, I’ll Pass It On To Him”: Sylvester Stallone Wants Ryan Gosling To Be The Next Rambo
Sylvester Stallone thought AI could pull it off, digitally recreating his younger face so he could play the part himself. The plan was undoubtedly very ambitious, but ultimately it got scrapped midway. According to Stallone, he and his team waited too long, and in the middle, the official prequel team took over. Instead of fighting it, he said he wished them good luck and let the idea go.
However, there are doubts about whether fans would have watched the AI version. Hollywood has been experimenting with digital effects for years. De-aging technology made its debut in ‘The Irishman,’ ‘Captain Marvel,’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.’ Sometimes it looks great. Sometimes it feels distracting. But still, building a full franchise movie relying on AI seems a bit risky. What do you think?
