Stallone steps away from Rambo revival series, won’t be involved in ‘any way at all’

By Christine Persaud Updated December 7, 2015

stallone not involved rambo fox series reboot first blood 1

Despite earlier reports that suggested that Rambo himself, Sylvester Stallone, would return to the franchise to executive produce the upcoming Fox TV series based on the iconic ‘80s movie franchise, new reports indicate that the aging action man won’t, in fact, be involved with the project at all, reports Deadline.

Called Rambo: New Blood, the one-hour Fox series will reportedly be about the life of Rambo and his relationship with his son, a former Navy SEAL. It is being produced by Entertainment One and Millennium Films, and will be written by Jeb Stuart, the screenwriter for Die Hard.

That storyline just screams for Stallone to reprise his role as the former Green Beret and Vietnam Vet, with a penchant for guerrilla warfare. How, after all, could anyone but Stallone be called Rambo? But alas, Deadline quotes Stallone’s reps who said the actor has “opted not to participate in the planned Rambo television series in any way at all.”

“I wish the others well with the project,” added Stallone himself.

It was believed back in 2013 when the show was first confirmed to be in the works that, not surprisingly, Stallone was being courted to be part of it. And just last week, the actor was reportedly listed as an executive producer in the show’s credits. But it appears that is not the case. Which potentially leaves the future of Rambo: New Blood in limbo.

Should it go forward, the show would mark the fifth incarnation of the Rambo character, which is based on the novel First Blood, written by David Morrell. There have been four Rambo movies to date. A fifth film is in production called Rambo: Last Blood, which Stallone has confirmed that he will be part of. There’s no word yet, however, on when it will be released.

Topics

Christine Persaud

Contributor

Christine is a professional editor and writer with 18 years of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started…

Entertainment

The best animated movies on Netflix right now

A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Entertainment

From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever

Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Entertainment

10 best Batman stories ever, ranked

Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush