This year’s release ofRambo: Last Bloodmay be the end of theRambofranchise as we know it, but time will tell what the film actually serves up. For now, John Rambo fans have another visceral adventure to look forward to and luckily Sylvester Stallone isn’t holding back. This past week,Stallone arrived at the international Cannes film festivalfor a special presentation and Q&A where he showed the first footage from this fifth installment in the hugely popular action franchise, along with a 4K restoration of the 1982 classicFirst Blood.
TheRambo: Last Bloodteaser trailer shows an aging John Rambo getting ready for one last fight. Not much of the story is unveiled in this first look footage. The basic story finds the Vietnam War vet (Sylvester Stallone) teaming up with a reporter to save a kidnapped girl from a vicious drug cartel in Mexico. This isn’t as over the top as the fourth installment, 2008’sRambo, which was a gory, non-stop onslaught of hard hitting violence. This looks more inline withFirst Blood. Gritty, dark, and just plain brutal.
TheLast Bloodtrailer screened for the first time as part of a celebration of Sylvester Stallone’s work and contribution to cinema. The actor has been promoting the movie heavily on social media since shooting began, and he has shared quite a bit of behind-the-scenes footage and photos that show Rambo living on a ranch, working as a cowboy before he gets into a personal war with the Mexican cartel.
Adrian Grunberg directRambo: Last Bloodfrom a script written by Matthew Cirulnik and Sylvester Stallone. The movie has long been in the works, and Stallone originally wanted to get to work on the sequel shortly after releasingRamboin 2008. The story has changed a few times over the past few years, and at one point, John Rambo was going to fight a genetically altered creature in the woods. The sequel actually came to a halt when it was announced that a TV show was in the works. First, the series was supposed to focus on John Rambo’s son, with Sly making the occasional appearance. Then it changed completely, and Stallone was no longer involved. But the TV project ultimately stalled out and disappeared, clearing the way for this incarnation.
It is believed that this will be a swan song for theJohn Rambo franchise. Stallone hinted last year, after the release ofCreed 2in November, that he was officially retiring his Rocky character. Now, that plan seems to have shifted, and Stallone has a whole new idea for yet another true Rocky sequel that would see Balboa taking an undocumented immigrant on as a trainer, who gets deported, forcing Rocky out of his comfort zone, as he has to travel to the home town of this new boxer. So it’s possible that Stallone will also hit on a completely different story forRambo 6.
There’s no telling yet when Lionsgate will drop theRambo: First Bloodtrailer, but rumor has it there is someleaked footage from Cannes floating around online if you know where to look.
