It had to happen eventually. With all the iconic properties that get revived, Rambo was going to come back around again. The surprise is that this time, Sylvester Stallone is no longer involved in the conversation. It looks like the character famous for being a Vietnam veteran is getting made over as a veteran of our more recent wars, as the new movie in development is entitled Rambo: New Blood.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story:
“Nu Image/Millennium Films is plotting a reboot of the classic 1980s action franchise that starred Sylvester Stallone, tapping Brooks McLaren to pen the script and Ariel Vromen to direct the feature.
Titled Rambo: New Blood, the new reboot would not see Stallone return as the action hero, like he did in Millennium’s 2008 outting, but would see a younger actor inhabit the role. The company is looking at Rambo as a character akin to James Bond. “
There have been many talks over the years about Rambo revivals, from a TV show to a possible sequel in which Rambo fights a monster. From the current description, we can intuit that this will not likely be a truer-to-the-book reimagining of First Blood, in which the character dies. They want a franchise revival, and need someone who has multiple potential movies in them. So who could it be? We have a few ideas:
1. Michael B. Jordan
For a Rambo reboot to work, you might not need Stallone, but you probably want someone that at the very least won’t cause Stallone to speak out against the project. So who better than a guy to whom he already gave tacit approval to inherit the Rocky franchise? There’s absolutely nothing essential to the character that says John Rambo needs to be white, and considering that Rambo feels like an outsider anyway, having him be a person of color adds another dimension to a small-town sheriff harassing him.
2. Liam Hemsworth
Another Stallone-approved star, having played one of the non-veteran Expendables, Hemsworth has proven he can do action in movies like Independence Day: Resurgence, but he hasn’t entirely proven he guarantees box office results; just name recognition.
3. Joseph Baena
Who? Arnold Schwarzenegger’s out-of-wedlock son, who recently portrayed his dad in a remake of a scene from Terminator 2. We don’t know if he can really act yet, but he definitely has a presence, and the look of his old man.
4. Robbie Amell
If we’re going with relatives of famous superhero actors, the Arrow’s cousin might be a better bet than Thor’s brother. He’s already been a lead in the sci-fi action movie Arq, in which he was frequently shot and tied down. That’s half the battle.
5. Oscar Isaac
Probably the longest of long shots, but if Poe Dameron wants a franchise besides Star Wars, this is one we could easily see him take over. Abel Morales from A Most Violent Year with a little bit of Nathan Bateman from Ex Machina thrown in seems like a potent potential mix.
5a. Nathan Fillion
Look, we’re a nerd site. It’s obligatory we mention him as possible casting for EVERYTHING.
Who do you want to see as the new Rambo? Draw first blood in comments below with your sharpest suggestion!
Images:  TriStar, New Line/Warner Bros., Lionsgate, YouTube/Ben Hess, Netflix, Universal, Fox
Rambo almost ended very differently. Here are the best worst alternate movie endings:
