Few action movie icons have managed to play as many fan-favorite roles as Sylvester Stallone. The guy has become an infamous symbol of 1980s machismo, and much of that stems back to his instantly recognizable portrayal of John Rambo in 1982's First Blood. From there, the Rambo franchise has become a seminal work in the realm of action blockbusters, and director Tiger Shroff will soon revisit the well with a remake of the Stallone classic. It's an intriguing prospect, but will Stallone return to help anchor the story, a la Creed? As it turns out, the actor recently issued a statement through a spokesperson to deny any possible involvement in the project, saying:
I wish them well on their own.
So he's not coming back, but he also doesn't seem to have any issues with the prospect of a remake hitting the silver screen. That said, it's probably for the best that Sylvester Stallone has opted not to return to the Rambo universe. This project isn't a spiritual successor like Creed, in which he can play an aged version of the same character. The Rambo remake will reportedly revisit the source material, which means divorcing itself from Stallone entirely feels like the best bet. If he randomly showed up as Sam Trautman (originally played by Richard Crenna) or Will Teasle (originally played by Brian Dennehy), it would almost certainly take away from the film's sense of immersion and feel like forced fan service.
Beyond that, there's a serious case to be made that Sylvester Stallone just shouldn't return to the franchise because his arc has already played out. The fourth (and easily the most violent) film in the Rambo franchise served as a perfect send off for Stallone's incarnation of the character back in 2008. With a decade of space between the old continuity and the new storyline, it might be best for a reboot to disassociate with what came before it.
Although this Deadline report confirms that Sylvester Stallone isn't returning to the Rambo franchise anytime soon, we can still look forward to seeing him in arguably his most iconic role sometime within the next few years. The action icon is reportedly working on the script for Creed 2, and rumors have suggested that the film's story will see Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed battle the son of Ivan Drago in a boxing ring. Add that to the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 apparently teased some future adventures for Stallone as a member of The Ravagers in the MCU, and we will have more than enough of the former John Rambo to hold us over.
CinemaBlend will keep you posted with more information related to the Rambo remake as new details become available to us. For more up to date info regarding 2017's most highly anticipated theatrical releases, make sure to take a look at our comprehensive movie premiere guide!
