Since Sylvester Stallone announced he's not coming back for another Rambo movie, the studio is hot under the collar to reboot the franchise with another (younger) actor taking over the role. No one is sure if they plan on retelling the origin story of First Blood all over again or if they're going to go all the way to the beginning when he's a POW in Vietnam. Or maybe they'll modernize the character and portray him as a PTSD suffering Green Beret or Special Ops from one of our more modern wars like the many incursions in the middle east. Nothing solid has been released other than their intentions to get this thing up and running again. No matter what, this is not the greatest of ideas. Stallone IS John Rambo and no one will ever match the prowess he put into the character. So, who do we think might be able to tackle the role?
1. Tom Hardy: The easy pick. This goes without saying. Hardy has the build and the dramatic chops to pull it off. He's been great in everything he's done and has a solid knack for brooding, ass kicking characters that don't tread lightly. Proving his worth as an action star in Mad Max: Fury Road, he seems like a shoe in for Rambo. This could serve as a secondary franchise for him that would be a continuing saga and pocket lining money dispenser for years to come. Considering he can actually act and has a hard physicality, he could definitely handle the part.
2: Jake Gyllenhaal: It'll never happen. Jake doesn't dig too hard on franchise movies. But, he can take on anything. With movies like Southpaw, he built some solid muscle mass and blended his dramatic flair into a sports based drama. While Rambo might not be a prime pick for Jake, he could definitely fill the shoes and add something fresh to the character. Jake can handle diverse roles as well as being lean and mean when he needs to be. Seeing him in an action-centric franchise like this would definitely be unique.
3. Edward Norton: Yeah. I just said it. Norton is a top shelf actor that knows the ins and outs of every type of role under the sun. He's problematic on set and causes problems for everyone around him. Stories of his mega-ego have infiltrated Hollywood since the day he first stepped foot on set. This is a totally insane idea. And this is exactly how Norton could attack the part. Norton has full control of his acting abilities. He can play unhinged. He can play against type. He's also the epitome of ever changing character presentations. He's never done the same thing twice. If he could get the body build of American History X mixed with his road weary Bruce Banner from The Incredible Hulk blended into a military veteran on the loose battling a power hungry sheriff, this would be a radical departure from what we've seen before.
4. Liev Schreiber: A man that's never been given a chance to truly carry a major role or series like this. Schreiber is the actor's actor. Mostly relegated to smaller parts and support roles, he's done some lead work on his show Ray Donovan and played the main character in The Omen remake. He can pull off action convincingly as proven in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This would be another interesting choice considering he's never been the main focal point of a large budget franchise film like the new Rambo will most likely turn out to be. Liev also has ability to be a physically intimidating person. At 6'3", he could build the frame and carry twelve dozen explosive arrows on his back.
5. Gina Carano: Why not? Does an ex-military person have to be male? Nope. Carano has a limited run of movies under her belt but they've all been action and she's proven herself worthy against a slew of male action stars. If they're going to reboot, why not try something completely different? Most remakes seem to tread too closely to the source material. This might get people more interested by making this a more modern take on Rambo. Joan Rambo? Joanna Rambo? Gina Rambo? Who cares? Take my money. Carano would have to get her acting skills up to par but her body type and absolute control of the screen could make this a really interesting way to respin the First Blood story.
Thoughts? Comments? Hate our bad ideas? Let us know below.