Sylvester Stallone shares his "crazy" scrapped plans to make an AI-assisted First Blood prequel, in which he wanted to play an 18-year-old Rambo

News
By published

The Oscar-nominated actor wanted to go back to John Rambo's time in Saigon

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in First Blood (1982)
(Image credit: Getty Images/Paramount Pictures)

Sylvester Stallone once pitched a Rambo prequel that would've seen him play an 18-year-old version of the character, using AI technology to de-age himself onscreen.

In the run-up to the release of Tulsa King season 3, the Oscar-nominated actor recently appeared on The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast, where he looked back on his almost 60-year career. During the chat, he recalled bringing up the idea of a prequel to studio executives – and how "everyone thought [he] was crazy" for dreaming it up.

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, First Blood centers on US Army war vet John Rambo, who wanders aimlessly into a small Washington town following some tragic news – and is accused of being a drifter by its mean-spirited sheriff. The locals' hostility causes Rambo to suffer brutal flashbacks from his time in Vietnam, prompting the former soldier to unleash his fury on the officers.

Just last month, it was announced that Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I Loved Before) has been cast as a younger Rambo in Sisu director Jalmari Helander's upcoming prequel. When asked about the challenges Centineo might face playing a fresh-faced take on the Green Beret, Stallone replied: "It's very, very hard. He may do a stellar job, but – I went through it with Get Carter – everyone loves the [first movie], and then you're always fighting that prejudice."

Amy West
Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.