Sylvester Stallone may be 72 years old — but he has no plans of dropping his tough-guy image on the big screen.
The filmmaker will be returning to one of his most famous roles in the near future. The “Rocky” star has been taking to social media to tease his workout routines as he preps to step back into the role of John Rambo.
The character first gained national attention when Stallone played him in 1982’s “First Blood.” The film followed Rambo as he returns home from the Vietnam War — only to be entered into a feud with an overbearing sheriff.
The film was followed by three sequels, each of which found Stallone shooting, flexing and grunting his way through the hard life of Rambo.
The last film in the series to be released was 2008’s “Rambo.”
With his Rocky Balboa character still going strong in the “Creed” films — “Creed II” hits theaters in November — Stallone is now finding time to throw Rambo into yet another adventure.
Here is a look at everything you need to know so far about the upcoming fifth “Rambo” movie.
1.) Rambo will be taking on the border. The plot for “Rambo V” reportedly finds John Rambo going up against Mexican cartels.
Though nothing official has come down the pike, audition tapes have been making their way around the internet; and past interviews with Stallone have indicated Rambo might be heading toward the border to rescue a kidnapped loved one.
“[W]hen the daughter of one of his friends is kidnapped, Rambo, who has been working on a ranch, crosses the U.S.-Mexican border and quickly finds himself up against the full might of one of Mexico’s most violent cartels,” reads a synopsis published by Deadline.
Past interviews with Stallone have indicated Rambo might be heading toward the border to rescue a kidnapped loved one.
Though it’s not the most politically correct story theme to tackle, it’s good to see Stallone still willing to take on the world’s real problems head on through his hard-edged veteran character.
2.) The film follows Rambo in a “changing world.” A constant theme in the “Rambo” series is the character of John Rambo’s growing more and more isolated as the world changes and progresses — and his inability to move out of the past.
This seems to be kept up in the new feature.
In a recent Instagram post teasing the star of production Stallone wrote, “The world may be changing but not him.”
3.) The movie has a director. While many likely thought Stallone would step behind the camera for the new “Rambo” — he directed the last film in the series — it looks like Adrian Grunberg will actually direct it. He directed Mel Gibson in 2012’s “Get the Gringo.”
Stallone has been taking a break from directing since 2010’s “The Expendables,” but he is reportedly still heavily involved in his projects behind the camera.
He works as both a producer and writer on most of his films, and it’s unlikely he’ll give up too much control on a character he has portrayed and written for decades.
4.) The film has a familiar setting. A report from Omega Underground notes that “Rambo V” will be at least partly shot at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, the same facility used for Stallone’s “The Expendables 2” and “The Expendables 3.”
5.) We will see it next year. In one Instagram post teasing the new film, Stallone included the line, “Fall 2019” — suggesting we’ll soon see Rambo back on the big screen.
Check out this video of Stallone’s workout prep for “Rambo V” — and remember, this man is 72.
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