Sylvester Stallone teases “passing the torch” in Rambo prequel

The Rambo prequel movie will see Sylvester Stallone “pass the torch”, according to the star.

Sylvester Stallone is best known for two characters: Rocky, the million-to-one-shot boxer last seen in Creed II; and Rambo, the Vietnam veteran with a gnarly set of skills.

The Rambo franchise has been on a strange, explosive journey: First Blood remains its best entry, Part II and Rambo III are exercises in ’80s pulp, 2008’s Rambo is hilariously brutal, and Last Blood is a blood-soaked whimper of a conclusion.

However, Stallone wants the series to continue with a prequel movie – and it seems like he may “pass the torch” onto a new star.

Sylvester Stallone gives Rambo prequel update

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stallone was asked if any progress had been made on the Rambo prequel. “I think it’s going to happen,” he said.

Orion Pictures

“I wanted to do it like a Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam, where you drop young Rambo in there and he’s this outgoing guy, football captain, and then you see why he becomes Rambo. But what they want to do is a modern-day story where I pass the torch. That’s getting close.”

In an earlier interview with Screen Rant, Stallone spoke about his hopes to explore Rambo’s backstory following Last Blood. “I always thought of Rambo when he was 16 or 17 – I hope they can do the prequel – he was the best person you could find,” he explained.

“He was the captain of the team; he was the most popular kid in school; super athlete. He was like Jim Thorpe, and the war is what changed him. If you saw him before, he was like the perfect guy.”

Stallone has also expressed interest in a sixth Rambo film which would see him returning to a Native American reservation, as “it’s the only place he could go where he could survive,” he teased to JoBlo.