(Left) Noah Centineo stars in ‘The Recruit.’ (Right) Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Preview:
Noah Centineo has landed the lead in ‘John Rambo’.
He’ll play the character made famous by Sylvester Stallone.
Jalmari Helander is directing.
You might recall that back in May, word arrived that Millennium Media was looking to turn back the clock on the story of John Rambo –– the troubled action character famously played by Sylvester Stallone –– for a new prequel pic called ‘John Rambo’.
As for Stallone? The trade site reports that he’s aware of the new development, and Centineo’s attachment, but hasn’t yet decided to be involved in any capacity.
What we do know is that Jalmari Helander, who made 2022’s action thriller ‘Sisu’, will be handling the movie, with a shoot set to kick off early next year in Thailand.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
It’s worth remembering here that the character didn’t originate on the screen; Rambo was created by David Morell in his 1972 novel ‘First Blood.’
The 1982 adaptation featured a script by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Stallone, with Ted Kotcheff in the director’s chair, calling the shots (and explosions).
Stallone starred as veteran Green Beret who is forced by a cruel sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
It was a gritty, stripped-down and smaller-scale entry compared to what the franchise evolved into with 1985’s ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ which blew things up into a much more blockbuster action level.
That one saw Rambo returning to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.
The five movies in the franchise have generated more than $800 million worldwide. The most recent update, 2019’s ‘Rambo: Last Blood,’ produced by Millennium and Stallone’s Balboa company, made $92 million at the box office.
As for the plot of the new one? It’ll focus on Rambo’s Vietnam days, but the specific story isn’t yet known beyond the team developing it, which includes ‘Black Adam’ writers Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.
And Centineo? His pertinent recent experience would be this year’s based-on-truth ‘Warfare’ co-directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, which chronicled a traumatic battle for Navy SEALS in Iraq.
When will ‘John Rambo’ be on screens?
The movie hasn’t yet landed a distributor, but Deadline’s report mentions that Lionsgate is he front-runner, having released the most recent two Rambo pics and worked with Helander on ‘Sisu’.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Preview:
A ‘Rambo’/‘First Blood’ prequel is in the works.
It’ll follow John Rambo’s days in Vietnam.
‘Sisu’s Jalmari Helander is aboard to direct.
We’ve reached a point where almost any major franchise is being looked at as something that needs all its narrative nooks and crannies filled in. And yes, there have been famous examples of prequels that added useful layers to movies that had gone before –– ‘The Godfather Part II’ is just one of them, and ‘Star Wars’Disney+ series ‘Andor’ has done some immaculate work filling in the gaps before what we saw in 2016’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’
Word, however, via Deadline, arrives that the Rambo series kicked off by ‘First Blood’ in 1982, is in line for its own story of what happened before, makes us wonder whether the reasoning is truly to expand the story or simply to mine new potential profit from an existing franchise.
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Especially since the new development comes from Millennium Media, which has rarely found an action premise it didn’t want to spin into a multi-movie story from ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ to the ‘The Expendables.’
Still, it is going forward, with Millennium hiring Rory Haines and (who worked on ‘Black Adam’) figuring out the script and ‘Sisu’ director Jalmari Helander gearing up to bring what is currently called ‘John Rambo’ to screens, with a shoot aimed for October in Thailand.
Here’s what Millennium President Jonathan Yunger had to say about the new development:
“We are thrilled to introduce a fresh new chapter to the ‘Rambo’ legacy. This project is a tribute to one of the best franchises in movie history that will appeal to both longtime fans and new audiences alike. With Jalmari Helander at the helm — a filmmaker of exceptional vision and energy — we’ve found the perfect director to deliver a high-concept action-packed experience.”
And here’s Helander:
“I have been the biggest fan of Rambo since the age of 11. It is so surreal to be in a situation where I can actually make my own ‘Rambo’ movie. The chain of events that got me here makes, in a fantastic way, my whole childhood make sense. I can’t wait to bring the greatest action hero back to the big screen where he belongs.”
Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
It’s worth remembering here that the character didn’t originate on the screen; Rambo was created by David Morell in his 1972 novel ‘First Blood.’
The 1982 adaptation featured a script by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone, with Ted Kotcheff in the director’s chair, calling the shots (and explosions).
Stallone also starred as veteran Green Beret who is forced by a cruel sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
It was a gritty, stripped-down and smaller-scale entry compared to what the franchise evolved into with 1985’s ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II,’ which blew things up into a much more blockbuster action level.
That one saw Rambo returning to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.
The five movies in the franchise have generated more than $800 million worldwide. The most recent update, 2019’s ‘Rambo: Last Blood,’ produced by Millennium and Stallone’s Balboa company, made $92 million at the box office.
What would the story be for ‘John Rambo’?
Filmmaker Jalmari Helander. Photo: Golden Globes Website.
Little is known about specifics yet; beyond that it’ll follow the origin story of a young John Rambo during the Vietnam War. We know that some serious stuff went down for Rambo, so expecting to be both action-packed and traumatic for whoever gets the lead role.
As to that question, no-one has been cast yet; the idea of someone trying to strap on Sly’s bandana is not an easy one. Plus, reactions to big prequels such as this are always mixed –– unless you get it right, it’s usually seen as a wasted opportunity.
Helander at least feels like a solid pair of hands: ‘Sisu’ was very effective and he can clearly orchestrate action that also blends in emotion.
Haines and Noshirvani are more of a concern, but they did also write the likes of 2021’s ‘The Mauritanian’ and worked on Prime Video series ‘The Informer.’
And if you’re wondering whether the most recognizable person of the ‘Rambo’ movies –– Stallone –– is involved, Deadline’s story includes mention that he’s been made aware of the new development, but is not yet involved. The producers are reportedly hoping he might at least cameo, but don’t hold your breath.
When will ‘John Rambo’ be in theaters?
Millennium has the rights to the movie available at this year’s Cannes Market, and while we can certainly imagine interest in it, there is no distributor attached yet so no release date to report.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Sylvester Stallone is an actor, writer, director, producer, movie star, living legend and Hollywood icon.
Stallone first made a name for himself by writing and starring in 1976’s Oscar-winning ‘Rocky,” which shot him to super fame and he was cemented as a movie star after appearing in ‘First Blood‘ as John Rambo. Both films have spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs, including ‘Creed,’ for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Over the past 40 years Stallone has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable movie stars and has gone on to appear in such popular films as ‘Cobra,’ ‘Tango & Cash,’ ‘Cliffhanger,’ ‘Demolition Man,’ ‘Cop Land,’ and ‘The Expendables‘ franchise, the forth of which, ‘Expend4bles‘ opens in theaters on September 22nd.
In honor of Stallone’s new movie, which he has said will be his last appearance in the series, Moviefone is counting down the 35 best movies of Sylvester Stallone’s career, including his latest.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rambo: Last Blood.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo (Stallone) now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), the granddaughter of his housekeeper María (Adriana Barraza), disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. Rambo, who has become a true father figure for Gabriela over the years, undertakes a desperate and dangerous journey to find her.
Carmen’s (Alexa Vega) caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids’ new nemesis, the Toymaker (Stallone). It’s up to Juni (Daryl Sabara) to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
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33. ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985)
John Rambo (Stallone) is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he’d want to return – the jungles of Vietnam.
When governments fail to act on behalf of captive missionaries, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo (Stallone) sets aside his peaceful existence along the Salween River in a war-torn region of Thailand to take action. Although he’s still haunted by violent memories of his time as a U.S. soldier during the Vietnam War, Rambo can hardly turn his back on the aid workers who so desperately need his help.
Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
His Wife (Talia Shire) is dead and his Son (Milo Ventimiglia) hates him but this old man still has fight in him! When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Stallone), reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging Rocky to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who’s faster, stronger, and thirty years his junior.
Barney Ross (Stallone) leads a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), a martial arts expert Yin Yang (Jet Li), heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitionist Toll Road (Randy Couture), and a loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren). When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to assassinate the dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee visit the remote locale to scout out their opposition and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city.
May Munro (Sharon Stone) is a woman obsessed with getting revenge on the people who murdered her parents when she was still a girl. She hires Ray Quick (Stallone), a retired explosives expert to kill her parent’s killers. When Ned Trent (James Woods), embittered ex-partner of Quick’s is assigned to protect one of Quick’s potential victims, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed II.’
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.
Combat has taken its toll on Rambo (Stallone), but he’s finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo’s friend and mentor Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but must reconsider when Trautman is captured.
Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Assassin Robert Rath (Stallone) arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun (Antonio Banderas) complete the job for him — with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target (Julianne Moore) and becomes a marked man himself.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘Expend4bles.’
Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Statham, Lundgren, Couture, and Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
Ray Breslin (Stallone) is the world’s foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He’s framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed himself. He needs to escape and find the person (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who put him behind bars.
Jack Carter (Stallone), a mob enforcer living in Las Vegas, travels back to his hometown of Seattle for his brother’s funeral. During this visit, Carter realizes that the death of his brother was not accidental, but a murder. With this knowledge, Carter sets out to kill all those responsible.
Set in 1958, the coming of age story follows four lower middle-class Brooklyn teenagers (Stallone, Henry Winkler, Perry King and Paul Mace) known as The Lords of Flatbush. The Lords chase girls, steal cars, shoot pool, get into street fights, and hang out at a local malt shop.
Sylvester Stallone voices King Shark in ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Photo: Warner Bros./DC Comics.
Welcome to Belle Reve, the prison where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out, even join the super-secret Task Force X. Today’s assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (Stallone), and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).
Now arm them heavily and drop them on the enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) on the ground to make them behave, and Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement.
A group of POWs (Stallone, Michael Caine and Pelé) in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.
Now the world champion, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is living in luxury and only fighting opponents who pose no threat to him in the ring, until Clubber Lang (Mr. T) challenges him to a bout. After taking a pounding from Lang, the humbled champ turns to former bitter rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) for a rematch with Lang.
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker (Stallone) and his partner, Hal (Michael Rooker), are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.
Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incapable of dealing with his violent ways and turn to his captor (Stallone), who had also been cryogenically frozen after being wrongfully accused of killing 30 innocent people while apprehending Phoenix.
After Rocky (Stallone) goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian (Talia Shire) but can’t put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the “Master of Disaster” and the “Italian Stallion” are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
Ray Tango (Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) are narcotics detectives who, while both being extremely successful, can’t stand each other. Crime Lord Yves Perret (Jack Palance), furious at the loss of income that Tango and Cash have caused him, frames the two for murder. Caught with the murder weapon on the scene of the crime, the two have no alibi. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears that they are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil Perret.
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men (Liam Hemsworth) is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV.’
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
When former Green Beret John Rambo (Stallone) is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff (Brian Dennehy), Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
Sylvester Stallone in 1977’s ‘Rocky.’ Photo: United Artists.
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa (Stallone), an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to make the most of this once in a lifetime break.
Francis Ford Coppola‘s Oscar-winning classic ‘The Godfather‘ celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. That made us think, what other films are celebrating anniversaries this year?
In this 4-part series we will take a look at the best movies celebrating their 40th, 30th, 20th, and 10th anniversaries this year.
First, we will countdown the best movies that released in 1982 and are celebrating their 40th anniversaries.
Richard Pryor‘s stand-up act includes his frank discussion about his freebasing addiction, as well as the infamous night on June 9th, 1980 that he caught on fire.
Directed by John Carpenter, members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don’t know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.
When former Green Beret John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff (Brian Dennehy), Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.
Directed by Sydney Pollack, when struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.
Directed by Amy Heckerling and based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe, ‘Fast Times’ follows a group of high school students growing up in Southern California. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), respectively. At the center of the film is Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a perpetually stoned surfer who faces-off with the resolute Mr. Hand (Ray Walston)—a man convinced that everyone is on dope.
It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career.
But Khan (Ricardo Montalbán) is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan – brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth – has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation Starship and sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk… even if it means universal Armageddon.
Directed by Ridley Scott, in the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Directed by Walter Hill, a hard-nosed cop (Nick Nolte) reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal (Eddie Murphy) temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, after a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother (Robert MacNaughton) and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.
He’s finally back! “Rambo 5” — or “Rambo V,” because it does look cooler that way — is now filming, with original star Sylvester Stallone back as John Rambo.
Later on, Stallone said he would return for a fifth “Rambo,” and he was even planning to direct at one point. Instead, Adrian Grunberg is said to be directing, with filming just getting started today.
Aaaaand it looks like Rambo is going full cowboy.
Here are Sly’s posts from earlier today to celebrate the start of “Rambo 5”:
The final scene of the fourth film showed Rambo back in the U.S., walking on a rural highway past a horse farm and a mailbox with “R. Rambo” on it.
According to a Screen Daily report from back in May, the fifth film finds our Rambo…
“living in a ranch in Arizona, deeply troubled and wrestling with PTSD as he picks up casual work wherever he can.
When long-time family friend and estate manager Maria informs Rambo that her grand-daughter has gone missing after crossing into Mexico for a party, he sets off with her to find the youngster.
What ensues is a violent descent into hell as Rambo uncovers a sex-trafficking ring. He teams up with a journalist whose half-sister has also been kidnapped and must deploy all his skills to save the girls and bring down a vicious crime lord.”
Sylvester Stallone is 72-years-old now, but he’s been training his body hard for this “Rambo” return:
