If you’re a great fan of the relentless destruction of bad guys that look different from you (but are also clearly deserving of the worst kind of ex/ecution/splosion), then the day Empire broke the news of the end of Rambo will go down as a sad one. There have been a number of teases in the last year of the film having a monster angle, which was then dropped (and even inspired a Stallone-themed CHUD quick list), but now the whole thing is kaput.
Talking with the writer/director/eviscerator about The Expendables, Empire asked about the sequel to the decently-performing 2008 Rambo, and Stallone clearly put a punctuation mark on the franchise.
“I think Rambo’s pretty well done. I don’t think there’ll be any more. I’m about 99% sure… I was going to do it… I said I’d never talk about this, but with, I feel that with Rocky Balboa, that character came complete circle. He went home. But for Rambo to go on another adventure might be, I think, misinterpreted as a mercenary gesture and not necessary. I don’t want that to happen.”
While I’m not sure anyone would have actually thought that hard about the gestural implications of another Rambo film, it’s admirable that Stallone would quit while he’s ahead. Of course, who would have really expected another (non-remake) Rambo or Rocky film a few years ago? There’s every chance that Stallone will find a reason to get excited about swimming through ethnic gore again, and decide to don the headband for one last go.
Hell, he always has the excuse of paying off the movie-title conceit he set up with Rocky Balboa of the final film bearing the character’s full name.