The cops in that small Washington town may have drawn first blood back in the 1980s, but John Rambo has remained a consistent pop culture fixture for decades. That said, audiences haven't seen Sylvester Stallone's legendary soldier since his journey into Burma during the events of 2008's Rambo, but now it looks like Rambo 5 is definitely back on the table. In fact, it seems that Stallone is sharpening his knives and stringing his bow to take on the Mexican cartels this time around.
With the Cannes Film Festival now underway, it looks like Sylvester Stallone is once again announcing his intention to return to the Rambo franchise. Per a report from Deadline, Rambo 5 is now in development, and the fifth entry in the long-running action franchise will see John Rambo go up against a Mexican cartel. Stallone is reportedly developing the script right now, though he's not confirmed to direct the film this time.
This Mexico-based premise for Rambo 5 is one of the most prominent ideas to be floated in the decade since Rambo debuted. Concepts for the fifth Rambo movie have ranged from the relatively standard (such as John helping a young group of technologically-advanced soldiers learn the fundamentals of combat) to the outlandish (such as Rambo taking on a genetically-modified monster). The fourth Rambo movie ended with John retiring to the Rambo family homestead in Arizona, and it seems that Rambo 5 will find him there when duty calls once again.
John Rambo is one of Sylvester Stallone's most iconic characters, arguably rivaled only by Rocky Balboa. The action icon has returned to these franchises consistently over the course of his career, and given the success of his work on Creed in 2015, it makes plenty of sense to see him come back to the Rambo series, as well. With Creed 2 also in development, it seems that Stallone is currently entrenched in some of his most beloved roles.
However, despite the similar iconography to the Rocky franchise, Rambo is very much its own beast. The franchise centers on Stallone's John Rambo, a scarred Vietnam veteran who never fully recovered from the trauma experienced during his time in the war. The Rambo franchise often sees John journey to whatever conflict is occurring in a given era (such as Afghanistan in the 1980s, or the genocide in Southeast Asia), so his move to Mexico seems in-line with the franchise's willingness to take on conflicts that grab headlines. Sylvester Stallone had previously stated that he was done with the Rambo franchise, but now it seems that we can look forward to at least one more war with the classic soldier.
Rambo 5 is expected to begin production in September and is aiming for a Fall 2019 release. CinemaBlend will keep you posted with more updates related to the film as they become available. For now, check out our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what films are set to debut this year!
