It was over three decades ago that First Blood was spilled and we met Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo for the first time on the big screen. His cinematic legend and the body count continued to grow over the years until he become one of Sylvester Stallone’s most iconic characters. Now we know when that legend will come to an end and the final drop of blood will be spilled.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate has set a release date, and Rambo 5: Last Blood will open in theaters on September 20. That will put Last Blood about a month shy of First Blood’s 37th anniversary. This fifth film in the franchise will be Sylvester Stallone’s final portrayal of the knife-wielding Vietnam War veteran who he last played in 2008’s Rambo.
Rambo 5: Last Blood is an exciting addition to the September calendar. September is often the January of the fall, mostly devoid of exciting big releases, but Rambo 5: Last Blood gives us something else to look forward to. Last Blood opens two weeks after the sure-to-be-massive IT Chapter Two. So that should give audiences enough time to process the amount of blood they just saw before they head back to the theaters to see Rambo spill some more.
As far as competition is concerned, in addition to the aforementioned IT Chapter Two, which will be in its third weekend, Rambo 5: Last Blood is opening opposite Black and Blue and Downton Abbey. Black and Blue is a crime drama starring Naomie Harris, Frank Grillo and Mike Colter and Downton Abbey is, of course, the feature film follow-up to the popular TV series.
Get the Gringo helmer Adrian Grunberg directed Rambo 5: Last Blood based on a script by Sylvester Stallone and Matt Cirulnick. Joining Sly for Rambo’s final fight are Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Yvette Monreal.
For his last battle, Rambo will be squaring off with perhaps his most dangerous foe yet: a Mexican drug cartel. He is working on a ranch, presumably the Rambo homestead in Arizona he returned to at the end of Rambo, when he crosses the border to find a friend’s kidnapped daughter. There he runs afoul of the cartel led by Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s Hugo Martinez, or perhaps more accurately, the cartel runs afoul of him.
September’s Last Blood will mark the second of Sly’s iconic characters that he has retired. After Creed II, the actor has said he is done with Rocky Balboa, although some people have their doubts. Whether he will ever bring back John Spartan from Demolition Man, Marion Cobretti from Cobra or Lincoln Hawk from Over the Top for swan songs remains to be seen.
Rambo 5: Last Blood opens in theaters on September 20. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed to theaters this year.
