Since Rambo came out in 2008 to pretty much universal praise from fans of the series, there has been talk about whether the greatest one man army of all time would come back again for a fifth entry.
At first Stallone talked about the movie going a little sci-fi and it even had a subtitle of “The Savage Hunt” where Rambo would face off against a powerful creature. There was even a synopsis revealed back in 2009:
John Rambo could track anyone – or anything – on earth. Now the military desperately needs him for a mission that his ultrasensitive instincts tell him he should refuse. A beast is loose somewhere north of the Arctic Circle.
It has already decimated a secret research facility and annihilated a squad of elite military guards. And the raging creature is headed south towards civilization, ready to wreak bloody devastation.
It’s a job that Rambo and his 22-year-old hunting partner, Beau Brady, can’t turn down, but they and a team of highly skilled special forces kill team discover that the prey is beyond their wildest fears, a half-human abomination created by a renegade agency through a series of outlawed genetic experiments.
It has man’s cunning, a predator’s savageness, and a prehistoric power that has transcended the ages. And even if Rambo and Beau survive its unrelenting hunger for human blood, they’ll still have to confront the grim reality that it may have grown immortal.
The idea would (wisely) be scrapped and the project didn’t take off. Personally I think it’s a good idea as it would have completely ruined the character. Rambo’s enemies must always be human and his greatest nemesis is his inner demons. To me though, the character came full circle at the end of Rambo (2008). He came back home to his farm in Arizona and it was him finally making peace with the world.
First Blood started off with John Rambo walking along a (long) road not knowing what troubles would ensue and by the end of Part 4, he was walking along a road again… except the road finally ends, with him arrive home.
Sylvester Stallone has said that Rambo isn’t the kind of guy that is going to spend the rest of his days working with horses on a farm. He’s a killing machine and it’s what he’s best at. He needs to go out in a blaze of glory but I’m not sure that’s something I want to see.
Rambo (2008) ended the series perfectly and as much as I love the character, I’m happy with how it ended.
What do you guys think? Do you want to see Rambo V? Or should they leave the series as is?