“First They Took His PTSD—Now They’re Taking His Face.”
Hollywood’s obsession with prequels has officially claimed another victim: John Rambo. Millennium Media—the folks who’ve milked The Expendables and Has Fallen into oblivion—are rebooting the franchise with John Rambo, a Vietnam-era origin story directed by Sisu’s Jalmari Helander. Stallone? Nowhere in sight.
The Good, the Bad, and the Shirtless
Let’s acknowledge the one bright spot: Helander’s Sisu was a hyper-violent, darkly comic WWII romp that turned Nazi kills into art. If anyone can inject fresh life into Rambo’s jungle-slaughter legacy, it’s him. But here’s the rub: Stallone is Rambo. His grizzled vulnerability in First Blood (1982) gave the character depth—something later sequels traded for explosions and one-liners.
Hollywood’s Prequel Addiction—A Decade of Diminishing Returns
This isn’t new. Remember Hannibal Rising (2007)? Temple of Doom (1984)? Even Furiosa (2024) struggled to justify its existence. Prequels too often feel like contractual obligations, not stories begging to be told. The Rambo series already devolved from PTSD allegory into “war porn” (as critics dubbed it). Now, stripping away Stallone’s legacy? Risky.
Cautious Optimism (With a Machete in Hand)
If Helander leans into Sisu’s brutal creativity—think booby-trapped helicopters, improvised flamethrowers—this could work. But if it’s just another “young hero discovers he’s good at killing” trope? Boom. Another franchise corpse for Hollywood’s graveyard.
